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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28858152">It's the End of the World as We Know It</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/SettingSummerSun/pseuds/SettingSummerSun'>SettingSummerSun</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Walking Dead &amp; Related Fandoms, The Walking Dead (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Action, Action &amp; Romance, Action/Adventure, Adventure, Adventure &amp; Romance, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Apocalypse, Atlanta, Atlanta Camp - Freeform, Biracial Character, Blood and Gore, Brotherly Love, Camp, Canon, Daryl Dixon Needs a Hug, Daryl Dixon Smut, Doctor - Freeform, Drug Use, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Falling In Love, Fear, Fear of Death, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Good Person Merle Dixon, Good Sibling Merle Dixon, Horror, Hurt Daryl Dixon, Hurt/Comfort, Insecure Daryl Dixon, Love, Merle Dixon Being Merle Dixon, Merle Dixon Being an Asshole, Merle Dixon Lives, Post-Apocalypse, Protective Daryl Dixon, Racist Language, Racist Merle Dixon, Romance, Siblings, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, Small Towns, Smut, Survival, Survival Horror, Survivor Guilt, Violence, Walkers, Walkers (Walking Dead), Wilderness Survival, Zombie Apocalypse, Zombies, itstheendoftheworldasweknowit, scavenging</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-20 12:42:39</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>57,618</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28858152</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/SettingSummerSun/pseuds/SettingSummerSun</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Stranded in Atlanta during a zombie apocalypse was the worst thing that ever happened to Natasha. Then she met the Dixon brothers and had to rely on them to survive. Starts during the beginning of the outbreak and then follows cannon. Daryl/OC. Rated M</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Daryl Dixon &amp; Original Female Character(s), Daryl Dixon/Original Female Character(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>85</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>91</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>My lungs burned with a fire I had never felt before and I yearned to stop, to give in. But I couldn't. I had to keep going. Stopping meant death and I didn't intend to die tonight. I couldn't die wearing this outfit. What if I came back as one of those lively corpses? I would be forced to roam this world forever wearing my <em>True Blood</em> tank top and yoga pants. I couldn't let that happen. Over my dead body.</p>
<p>I pushed on, running like Forrest Gump through the empty streets of an Atlanta suburb. Which one I didn't know. When the shit hit the fan, I lit out of Atlanta like a hipster running to Coachella. My car rental made it to the outskirts of the city before it ran out of gas. My mother would be gloating with an "I told you so" remark if she were here. Thankfully, there are small graces—even in an apocalypse.</p>
<p>I had been running for at least an hour. Fortunately, I was in shape and used to running as I ran five miles four to five times a week. It was a habit I started in high school when I joined the track and cross-country teams. Trust me, I didn't join voluntarily. It was my mother's incessant nagging about needing more extra-curricular activities for college applications. Of course, that was bullshit. My mother's true motivation was that she wanted me to lose weight. However, I can't hate her for it because her obsession with me losing weight was probably the only reason I was alive now.</p>
<p>I didn't want to think about all of the people I passed as I ran and the tormented screams of those being attacked by the infected. It was the fear of being attacked myself that allowed me to keep a fast pace as my adrenaline was at an all time high. I'm sure I was breaking all sorts of personal best times but I guess running for your life will do that.</p>
<p>I continued running through the empty streets until I came upon a highway. It was empty this far out as most had tried to find refuge in the city. The news reported that Atlanta was a refugee city and all who were not infected were allowed sanctuary. The army was securing the city and it was promised to be a safe haven. As soon as I heard that, I got out of town. I wasn't Albert Einstein but if the disease was spreading like STDs during an orgy then I was not staying in Atlanta. The more people, the quicker the disease would spread. Cities were the absolute worse place to be. If I wanted to survive, I needed to get to a remote location.</p>
<p>I decided to follow the highway out of town but first I needed a break. I was far enough away from the madness that I could afford a five minute breather. However, I didn't come to a complete stop. I continued walking at a slow pace as I cooled off in the night's air. I determined it had to be close to midnight as it was completely pitch black. The only light supplied was from the moon above. It was quiet, eerily so and it made me nervous. It was too similar to a horror film right before someone died. I tried to shake the thought from my head since it sure as hell wasn't helping my heart rate slow down. I needed to be zen right now so I could think and figure out my next move.</p>
<p>Where the hell would I go? I didn't know this area at all. I was only in town for a job interview at Atlanta General Hospital. I think I nailed it but it doesn't really matter now. Not when the world was going to hell in a hand basket. Okay focus. I needed to focus. I couldn't make it back to Los Angeles, that was for sure. And even if I could, that would be worse. The first major story about the outbreak came out of Los Angeles two days ago. Some homeless guy was shot nine times by the cops and kept attacking. He only stopped when they shot him in the head. At least something useful came out of that report. Head trauma was how you stopped them.</p>
<p>I was so involved in my thoughts that I didn't hear the soft crunch of shoes following behind me until it was too late. I felt something grab my shirt harshly and I fell backwards onto something solid. When I looked behind me, I saw an infected corpse chomping its teeth, trying to take a chunk out of my neck. My weariness seemed to all but disappear as my adrenaline kicked into over gear and I felt like a jacked up Rambo ready to slaughter a village. I kicked and clawed my way off the corpse until I was standing up when a sickening chill washed over me. There were three other corpses now zeroing in on me like a wolf pack ready for the kill. They must have been coming from the side of the highway and for all I knew, there could be more.</p>
<p>It was really starting to look like I might die in this <em>True Blood</em> tank top after all. I just hoped the corpses would gnaw my face off so at least no one would know my deepest guilty pleasure. I took a deep breath trying to gather all my courage. I might die tonight but I was going to die fighting like a honey badger on steroids.</p>
<p>I let out my best<em> Braveheart</em> roar and headed for the first corpse. I kicked the corpse solidly in the chest, making it fall backward onto the asphalt. I gave myself a mental fist bump as that was nearly an identical kick from the<em> 300</em> movie. I went to jump over the corpse and make a run for it but I felt a hand wrap around my ankle mid-air, halting my escape. I fell with a painful thud on my arms and head. I was either swooning over an imaginary heartthrob or I had a mild concussion causing dizziness. I could even swear I heard the sound of a car engine in the background.</p>
<p>Either way, lying in the middle of the road waiting to be eaten was not an option. Especially when said corpse was pulling me closer to it. Screaming, I rolled over onto my back and began to kick the corpse in the face with my other foot in an attempt to try to dislodge myself from its grip. Suddenly, I saw what looked like a man with a crossbow, shooting an arrow into the skull of one of the corpses. He reloaded his crossbow and shot another arrow into the corpse walking toward me and it fell gracelessly in a lump on the ground. Finally, the man took out a knife he had sheathed at his hip and jammed it into the skull of the corpse with a hold on my ankle. I noticed there was one corpse left making its way over behind my crossbow-wielding savior and tried to alert him before it was too late.</p>
<p>"Behind you!" I screamed.</p>
<p>He pulled the knife out of the skull of the corpse at my feet, and turned around and stick it in the head of the last corpse.</p>
<p>With my immediate danger dealt with, it was eerily quiet again except for a car engine in the background and loud heavy panting. I briefly wondered who the hell was wheezing like a fat kid with asthma when I realized it was me. Feeling mildly embarrassed, I tried to slow my breathing and play it off like it wasn't me. I had my dignity after all.</p>
<p>It was then that I noticed a parked pickup twenty feet away. Its headlamps provided the only light in the area and currently, it illuminated my savior in a Batman silhouette shadow making him seem even more badass. He turned around and began to walk toward me before bending down and offering me his hand. I grabbed his hand and he hauled me up until I was standing. I swayed a little bit and he caught me, steadying me with both hands.</p>
<p>"You al'ight?" he questioned in a thick southern accent. "Ya got blood on your head," he said grabbing a rag from his back pocket and handing it to me.</p>
<p>I took the rag and began to wipe the blood on my right temple. It reeked of grease and oil but I remembered the age old saying: <em>beggars can't be choosers</em>.</p>
<p>"Yeah, I'm fine. Just hit my head when I fell," I replied. I finished wiping the blood with a slight grimace and handed him his rag back. "Thanks for saving me," I finally said, looking at him for the first time. He was still hidden in the darkness of the night so I didn't get a very good look. "I was certain I was going to be the headliner at an all you can eat buffet."</p>
<p>He grunted a "yeah" before walking away to the nearest corpse to retrieve his knife. He wiped the rotting blood off the knife onto his pant leg and put it back in its sheath. Then he walked to the other corpses and retrieved his arrows out of their skulls before placing them back in the storage area on his crossbow. Finally, he turned his attention back to me before speaking. "Wouldn' go to Atlanta if I were you. Place ain't safe."</p>
<p>"I was actually running from Atlanta," I corrected.</p>
<p>He nodded his head in response before asking, "Where ya headed?"</p>
<p>I took a moment to think before answering. "I'm not sure. Anywhere that's safe."</p>
<p>He nodded again. "C'mon," he said and gestured with his head toward the car.</p>
<p>I didn't think twice before following him. This guy knew how to handle himself and currently, he was my best chance at surviving. When I got closer to the old pickup, I realized there was a driver behind the steering wheel. That was odd. What…he couldn't be bothered to help?</p>
<p>My savior opened the passenger door and gestured for me to get in. Before I had the chance to, the man sitting in the driver's seat spoke up.</p>
<p>"Uh un. She ain't comin' wit us. We don't need no dead weight."</p>
<p>I stopped and froze as my heartbeat sped up. They couldn't leave me here. I had to persuade them to bring me along. Before I had a chance to defend myself, my crossbow-wielding savior piped up.</p>
<p>"Shut the hell up Merle. I ain't leavin' no woman out here ta die," he announced and gently pushed me forward to get in the car.</p>
<p>As I slowly got into the car, I could see the driver 'Merle' better as the interior lights were on from the open door. He was an older man with short brown hair peppered with gray. His chin was covered in two-day-old stubble that matched the lightly grayed hair on the top of his head. He had an intense scowl across his brow and pinched lips. All in all, he looked pissed.</p>
<p>As I slid over to the middle seat, I noticed a strong smell of tobacco and whiskey. It made me question if he should be driving but the guy looked like a regular drunk driver and all things considered, I'd rather die in a car accident than be eaten alive. So, I did what any "I almost died" person would do; I made an irrational decision—I stayed in the car.</p>
<p>After I was situated in my seat, my savior slid in next to me and closed the door, effectively trapping me inside. Now there was an added stench of gasoline and grease coming off him that enveloped the cabin. <em>He must be a mechanic</em>, I thought to myself.</p>
<p>Merle took a loud deep breath in obvious agitation at the situation. "Always savin’ strays," he said shaking his head. "She's a nigger. Ya shoulda left her for her own people to pick up. Shouldn't be mixin’ wit 'em," he continued.</p>
<p>Wow, this guy was a major racist <em>and</em> an asshole.</p>
<p>"Actually," I interjected, deciding to speak up. "I'm biracial, so technically, you are my people," I finished with the most saccharine smile I could muster.</p>
<p>"Is that so?" Merle replied sarcastically. It looked like he was gearing up for another onslaught of racial slurs but my savior interrupted him. "Jus' drive the damn truck Merle. Ya wastin' time. We needa get outta here."</p>
<p>With that, Merle said something under his breath but put the truck in gear and we began to take off down the highway.</p>
<p>The silence inside of the truck was suffocating and uncomfortable. I've always been unable to keep my mouth shut, especially in awkward situations, so I decided to talk. "That was some pretty badass moves back there. I don't think I've ever seen anyone actually use a crossbow before."</p>
<p>My savior glanced down at the crossbow on his lap before giving me a grunt, which I interpreted as a thank you. It seemed he was not used to compliments or didn't like them. I tried another route of conversation instead to keep the ball rolling.</p>
<p>"I'm Natasha Mikhelson," I said, still facing my savior. He was the nicer of the two and frankly, he saved my ass back there. He looked at me before responding.</p>
<p>"Daryl Dixon," he replied in a quiet tone before turning his gaze back to the dark scenery outside. By the way he observed everything, I concluded he must be a hunter—and a damn good one at that.</p>
<p>Swallowing the lump in my throat, I turned to the driver. "And what's your name?" I asked. I already knew his name was Merle from hearing Daryl say it. However, it seemed polite to ask and try to involve him in the conversation, even if he was an asshole.</p>
<p>"Listen, you're his stray, not mine," he sneered. "I don' give a shit 'bout ya name and you don' need to know mine. Got it?"</p>
<p>"Yeah I got it," I replied before a quick "douchebag" slipped out from my obvious annoyance. Daryl began to chuckle quietly and I realized my mistake. "Oops," I said quickly. "I didn't mean that."</p>
<p>Merle gave me a look that said he didn't believe a word I said.</p>
<p>"Well I meant it, I just didn't mean to say it out loud," I explained in defeat.</p>
<p>"Get control of your bitch lilttle brother 'fore I have to kick her to tha curb," Merle announced.</p>
<p>This guy was beginning to really piss me off. I felt the tell-tell signs of my inner hulk roaring, begging to come out and make an introduction. Before I could say anything, Daryl piped up. "Merle watch ya mouth! She ain't goin' nowhere so get over it."</p>
<p>I looked between the two brothers that had matching scowls. There was definitely an abundance of testosterone flowing freely in the truck. However, I noticed it seemed like a common occurrence between the two. And yet, they seemed to be quite close as well based on how they communicated with one another.</p>
<p>Suddenly, there was a loud bang from the front of the car. A freaking corpse was on the hood of the car hanging on, still trying to munch its way through the windshield to us.</p>
<p>"Pull over," Daryl directed before the truck came to a halt on the side of the highway. Daryl opened the door and shot the corpse through the skull with an arrow before retrieving said arrow and sliding the corpse off the car. He hopped back in the truck and closed the door. "We're good," he said and Merle pulled back onto the highway like nothing ever happened.</p>
<p>Who were these guys? They seemed totally not phased by anything. They were made for a catastrophic calamity such as this. They were survivors. And the best survivors were also the most damaged of individuals. Just hearing Merle speak, I could definitely imagine 'damaged' written across his forehead. However, Daryl didn't give off the same vibe. I still hadn't gotten a good look at him yet so I would have to wait to deconstruct and analyze him later.</p>
<p>I realized my mistake then too. I shouldn't be fighting with Merle. I needed to win him over because that racist redneck hillbilly and his badass crossbow-wielding brother were what I needed to survive the hell now known as life…at least until I could find a better group of people.</p>
<p>Trying to find my most alluring asset to the group, I began to look at Merle more closely. It was hard in the darkness of the cabin but every now and then, the moon would peak in just right for me to get a glimpse of something. I noticed the redness of his eyes, the slight shaking of his left hand on the steering wheel, and the faint redness on the inside of his nostril. Bam! I found my way in. It seemed that ol' Merle here had a drug problem in addition to heavy drinking.</p>
<p>"See somethin' ya like Sweetheart? Sorry but I don't fuck niggers," he announced smugly.</p>
<p>I tried not to show my horror at such an idea. He was obviously a dumbass. He confused my dissecting him with sexual interest in him.</p>
<p>"I'm not dead weight," I said, ignoring his slant against me. "I'm a doctor." Best part was that it was true too. I just finished my residency and got my medical license so I was legit.</p>
<p>"What tha hell we need wit a doctor?" Merle asked.</p>
<p>Wow, he really wasn't smart at all. Drugs will do that though.</p>
<p>I was quiet for a moment before responding. "Well if the corpses don't kill you, a plethora of other things might. For example, all you need is a cut. It gets infected. Blood poisoning begins. You die. <em>But</em>, if you had a doctor around, I could tell you which <em>prescriptions</em> to take and for how long. Boom, I just saved your hypothetical life."</p>
<p>And now that I baited him, I just had to sit back and watch my fish bite.</p>
<p>"It ain't gonna hurt us to have a doc 'round" Daryl added in my defense. I was really starting to like him.</p>
<p>"How good are you with prescriptions?" Merle asked, suddenly interested.</p>
<p>I smiled inwardly. Got him!</p>
<p>"I graduated top of my class in med school and residency so I don't mind tooting my horn by saying you won the freaking jackpot with me," I finished with a giant smile.</p>
<p>For the first time, Merle smiled back at me. "Atta girl. Ya might be useful after all. Names Merle…Merle Dixon."</p>
<p>"Nice to meet you Merle," I nodded. My place in the group was secure now. I mean, I might have to dabble in drug dealing but hey, a girl has to survive. Surprisingly, I didn't feel appalled by the idea. If I had to steal some meds to ensure my safety, I had no qualms about doing just that. Besides, the police had their hands full with all the corpses running around.</p>
<p>"By the way, how old are you girlie?" Merle asked.</p>
<p>"Twenty-five," I replied.</p>
<p>Merle looked contemplative before asking, "That's pretty young to be a doc ain't it?" It was obvious he was now questioning if I was really a doctor.</p>
<p>I chuckled. "Yes. I graduated high school and college early. I did say I was top of my class. Smart people always finish first Merle."</p>
<p>Daryl finally spoke again. "What, you som' kind of genius?"</p>
<p>I shook my head. "Not really. It's just that I pay meticulous attention to details and I have one hell of a memory."</p>
<p>Daryl just hummed in response.</p>
<p>We rode in silence again for another ten minutes before I finally asked where we were headed.</p>
<p>"Home," Merle replied.</p>
<p>I started to panic. "Is that safe?" I questioned. "We should really get away from people. We should head to a remote area."</p>
<p>"That's exactly the kind of area we live in. We look like city folk to you?" Merle inquired with a slight hint of amusement in his tone.</p>
<p>"I suppose not," I answered honestly. "Why were you in the city then?"</p>
<p>"Hangin' out wit friends but shit got too crazy to stick 'round any longer," was all Merle said.</p>
<p>"I really hope I'm not going to be the inspiration for some Lifetime movie," I mumbled.</p>
<p>"What's a Lifetime movie?" Daryl asked.</p>
<p>Shit. I said that out loud.</p>
<p>"Umm…you know," I tried to stall. Daryl just kept looking at me and waiting for an explanation. I let out a breath in defeat before explaining. "In all their movies, someone is getting beat, raped or killed," I said quietly.</p>
<p>"What you think we'd do somethin' like that to ya?" he yelled in obvious anger. I was beginning to see how he and Merle were brothers. Both had a temper.</p>
<p>Fuck. I could’ve face palmed myself. Why couldn't I just shut my big mouth or think before I spoke? "It's just that I got into a car with two strange men headed for some 'remote, rural area'. It's everything a mother tells her daughter not to do."</p>
<p>"Well we can pull the truck over 'n you can get out and fend for ya'self," Daryl snarled and this time the anger was coming off him in waves.</p>
<p>"Well now hold on there lilttle brother. Our doc here is an asset." Merle interrupted. Of course, the druggie would pipe up now. He didn't want to lose his access to top quality prescriptions.</p>
<p>"Ya just want her to get you ya oxy and shit," Daryl argued.</p>
<p>"So what if I do? What's it to ya huh?" Merle barked, leaning over me to get in Daryl's face.</p>
<p>"Wait!" I interrupted, gently pushing both brothers back from one another. When both men stopped talking, I turned to Daryl. "Look you saved my life. I cannot thank you enough. Obviously, you're a good guy. I don't think you plan to rape or murder me. I just don't think before I talk. I have a hard time filtering my thoughts before I'm saying them out loud. I didn't mean to offend you."</p>
<p>He didn't say anything for a long time before finally, a simple "whatever" escaped from his lips accompanied with a shoulder shrug.</p>
<p>"See ain't we a big ol' happy family?" Merle added in a sugary sweet tone. It was obviously fake so I chose not to respond. Daryl seemed to take the same approach and didn't reply either.</p>
<p>"I just want to apologize in advance. Fair warning, it will happen again. I tend to say things I wish I didn't—a lot. It's my worst habit," I admitted with a grimace.</p>
<p>Neither brother replied and we drove in silence the rest of the way.</p>
<hr/>
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<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>We pulled up to an old cabin in the middle of nowhere. Trees surrounded the property and there were no neighbors anywhere close from what I could tell. The old cabin had seen better days. In fact, it looked like the cabin should have been demolished decades ago. How it was still standing was a mystery to me. There was no front yard but rather dirt littered with beer cans and other miscellaneous items. I spotted a toilet seat, an engine, a rusty bike and an array of odd nick-knacks and sculptures. Obviously, the place was a dump.</p>
<p>"You live here?" I asked. I couldn't keep the disdain out of my voice. The thought of having to stay here overnight was frightening to say the least.</p>
<p>"Yeah. Now get out," Daryl commanded rudely and exited the truck.</p>
<p>Clearly, he was still pissed at me. I let out a breath before following him out of the vehicle.</p>
<p>"Stay behind me," he ordered.</p>
<p>"You think there are corpses inside?" I whispered anxiously.</p>
<p>Daryl shrugged his shoulders before answering. "Dunno. Best to check."</p>
<p>Crossbow in hand, Daryl crept up the stairs to the front porch noiselessly, which seemed impossible with how old that porch looked. Obviously, the man had skills and I determined he must be a damn good hunter too.</p>
<p>I turned to my left and couldn't find Merle. Where the hell had he gone? Panic started to set in and I found my heart beat elevating along with my terror. I looked around the area with wild eyes trying to spot anything amiss. It was nearly impossible to see anything in the darkness of night. I heard a shuffling noise to my right and jumped in fear.</p>
<p>I heard cackling before Merle stepped out of the darkness. "Calm down little lady. It's just ya buddy Merle," he said smiling.</p>
<p>I frowned. That asshole did that on purpose.</p>
<p>I didn't get a chance to respond as Daryl stepped out of the cabin interrupting us.</p>
<p>"Place is clear" he announced.</p>
<p>Merle gestured for me to go first, so I headed up the steps to the porch where Daryl was. I noticed the porch creaked like nobody's business as I walked on it. It made Daryl's noiseless entry that much more impressive. When Merle finally joined us on the porch, Daryl turned around and went into the cabin. I took another deep breath and followed him inside.</p>
<p>I can't say I was surprised. The cabin had a horrible musty smell that clung to my nostrils. It smelled like mildew, beer, and something distinctly male. It was anything but pleasant.</p>
<p>The cabin wasn't as small as it looked from the outside. It had a decent size living room that housed a beat up old couch, a recliner and a TV set that looked like it was from the 90s. The kitchen was opposite the living room. It was smaller in size but it had a connecting kitchen nook with a small round table. A small hallway that separated the living room and kitchen led to the back of the cabin where three doors could be found.</p>
<p>"Where do those doors lead?" I asked Merle.</p>
<p>"The one on the right is my room, Daryl is on the left and the bathroom is behind the middle door," he explained.</p>
<p>"It's cozy," I lied.</p>
<p>Merle chuckled, "No it a'int." He made his way over to the living room and slumped down onto the raggedy couch.</p>
<p>Not knowing what to do, I turned around to see what Daryl was doing. His back was to me as he placed his crossbow on the kitchen nook table. Since the cabin had lights on, I was able to see Daryl clearly for the first time. He was tall in stature and wore a plaid cutoff shirt with some <em>Dickies</em> work pants. There was a red rag hanging out of his back pocket, which was probably the same one he let me borrow earlier. The man had some nice looking arms. That was for sure. He also had short dirty blond hair that stuck to the nape of his neck from obvious sweat. I could relate; I was still covered in sweat myself from all that running.</p>
<p>"Mind if I use your bathroom?" I asked Daryl.</p>
<p>He finally turned around and I was shocked by how ruggedly handsome he was. He looked at me with startled wide eyes for a second then quickly schooled his features. There was an awkward pause where we both just stared at each other before his lips started moving. It was clear he was saying something but I was too distracted looking at the mole by his lips. It was devastatingly attractive and made his mouth even more alluring. Damn his lips looked kissable. I looked back up to his sea foam blue eyes before I realized he was giving me a weird look like I was freaking him out.</p>
<p>I shook my head and cleared my throat. "Sorry. Did you say something?" I asked trying to play it off.</p>
<p>Daryl gave me a confused look a while longer before he grumbled out a "go ahead" and walked past me to join his brother on the couch.</p>
<p>For a second I just stood there trying to remember what we were talking about before I remembered asking to use the bathroom. I let out a small sigh and mentally berated myself. That encounter was <em>so</em> cringe worthy.</p>
<p>Saving what little face I could, I made my way down the hallway to the bathroom. I was pleasantly surprised to find the bathroom decent. Don't get me wrong, it was decrepit and old—but it was moderately clean. In fact, when I thought about it, the whole cabin was fairly tidy compared to the outside. I closed the bathroom door and walked over to the mirror above the sink.</p>
<p>I looked like a train wreck. My long honey brown curls resembled something of a rat's nest that had been tossed in a tornado. No wonder Daryl was looking at me so funny. The tumble with those corpses and all that running mixed in with humidity did nothing for my curls. I tried to smooth down my hair but it was useless; my hair had a mind of its own.</p>
<p>I continued to just look at myself in the mirror. My skin was a tanned California golden color that always reminded me of peanut butter. I had hazel eyes that were a mixture of shamrock green, butterscotch yellow and cinnamon brown. They were my most favorite feature and I often got compliments about them. I had the same straight nose I inherited from my father but plump lips I received from my mother. I had a slight splattering of faint freckles that graced my nose and cheekbones, giving me an all-American Girl feel.</p>
<p>Although I was pretty, I still felt awkward. I was 5'5 and 135lbs with curves that never went away, even with all my running. I had a small waist with large hips and a butt that definitely came from my mother. My 32C-cup breasts were just pure luck. I had a natural curvaceous body that I never felt fit my personality.</p>
<p>It might be because of my prolonged ugly duckling phase. I was chunky all throughout childhood and went through a pretty rough awkward stage in middle and high school. I really didn't grow into my features until I was well into college. I went from being totally ignored by the opposite sex, to borderline harassed within a few short years. I guess I still found it hard to see my current reflection as me and not the ugly duckling I was before.</p>
<p>Done analyzing myself, I bent down and splashed some cold water onto my face and neck. It felt cool and refreshing which was something I desperately needed. Standing up, I looked into the mirror again and noticed my clothes. My tank top was still in good shape, there were no rips or tears that I could see. Unfortunately, because I was still so sweaty, it clung to me like second skin. My burgundy lace bra straps were visible but everything else was covered. Good.</p>
<p>My mind wandered to Daryl for some reason and I revisited the memory of seeing him in the light for the first time. He wasn't what I was expecting. I'm not really sure what I was expecting…but <em>that </em>wasn't it. He had really intense eyes that seemed to demand a captured audience. It was hard to look away once caught in his gaze. I noticed he seemed to squint as if to hide his eyes from the magnitude of emotions swirling within them. Like his brother, Daryl had facial stubble covering his cheeks with a slighter, longer goatee. Overall, he was not bad to look at. And if I was being honest, I'd say he was damn sexy!</p>
<p>Whoa.</p>
<p>I needed to get a grip. My mother would just about die if I ever brought a guy like Daryl home. I laughed, imagining her face at such a scenario. Splashing my face with cold water again for good measure, I turned off the faucet and left the bathroom.</p>
<p>I walked down the hallway and joined the Dixon brothers in the living room.</p>
<p>"Looks like ya got in a fight wit your hairbrush…and you lost," Merle joked.</p>
<p>I gave Merle my best <em>'if looks could kill'</em> face and flipped him the bird. He just laughed harder and I could even see Daryl cracking a smile.</p>
<p>"Do you have a rubber band I could use?" I asked Merle with a tight fake smile.</p>
<p>Once he was done laughing up a storm, he finally answered. "Sorry girlie. Fresh outta rubba bands."</p>
<p>"Here," Daryl said in a low voice. He slid a rubber band off his wrist and handed it to me.</p>
<p>"Thanks," I said grabbing the band out of his hand. I started to pull my hair back into a ponytail and twisted it around into a bun. I then used the rubber band to secure it in place. It wasn't ideal but it would do in a pinch.</p>
<p>"What's that mean?" Daryl asked pointing to my shirt.</p>
<p>Damn. He was looking at my <em>True Blood</em> tank top. Well this was embarrassing. It was dark green with the word "<em>Fangbanger</em>" written on it in large script accompanied by a picture of red lips with a tongue licking along the bottom lip.</p>
<p>Ugh. Just kill me now. I knew it was only a matter of time. If I'd have known the world would be going to shit today, I would have picked a different shirt. I could feel my face heating up which only meant one thing. Dammit, I was blushing.</p>
<p>"Uhh…it's from a TV show called True Blood" I answered lamely. I sat down in the recliner and looked toward the old television.</p>
<p>"That TV work?" I asked trying to change the subject.</p>
<p>"Yeah, but what does it mean?" Daryl asked again. Geez this guy was not going to let it go!</p>
<p>Huffing, I replied. "It's someone who sleeps with a vampire okay? Can you let it rest now?" I answered harsher than necessary.</p>
<p>"Wait. So ya tellin' me that there's a show where women sleep wit vampires?" Merle tried to clarify. "And they call 'emselves fangbangers?" he asked incredulously. "Whoa, girlie, you must be into som' kinky shit" he finally finished chuckling.</p>
<p>"You wouldn't understand," I argued feeling pissed and a little insulted. It was my favorite show after all. I crossed my arms over my chest and gave him my best bitch face.</p>
<p>"No need to getcha panties in a twist. No harm intended," Merle claimed putting both his hands up in surrender. Daryl just remained quiet squinting at me from the couch. Yeah, he was judging me. Whatever.</p>
<p>"Fine," I agreed to a cease-fire. "So does that TV work? It might be nice to get more information on the situation."</p>
<p>Merle didn't reply but just flipped the TV on using the remote. Most of the channels were nothing but gray fuzz but eventually we caught one channel still running.</p>
<p>There was a news anchor sitting behind a desk reading the teleprompter. He was dressed professionally, but it looked like he had been in the studio for days. His clothes were wrinkled, and his face looked haggard from fatigue.</p>
<p>"<em>The military is actively trying to combat the infected," </em>he began.<em> "To secure your safety, please stay indoors. Military personnel will go door to door in order to secure the city and deliver supplies to residents."</em></p>
<p>Once the last sentenced was read, it looped back to the beginning. Merle clicked off the television after the third time the same message played.</p>
<p>"That's a taped message. The city could have fallen for all we know. Do you have a radio?" I asked. "We might be able to catch a broadcast."</p>
<p>"I got one in the shed outside," Daryl said getting up from the couch. He grabbed his crossbow off the kitchen nook table before heading out the front door.</p>
<p>"Well shit," Merle grumbled out, clearly disturbed by the news.</p>
<p>"Yeah," I agreed. The world was really going south and fast.</p>
<p>We sat in silence together until Daryl entered the cabin again and tossed a small hand radio to me. I immediately started scrambling through the channels trying to get any information I could, while Daryl placed his crossbow back on the kitchen table. He joined Merle on the couch just as I got a clear signal.</p>
<p>"<em>The government is having a hard time trying to control the infected population. There are six safe zones within the city. All other neighborhoods have been deemed unsafe and the military is actively combating the infected in those areas. If you are seeking sanctuary, do not come to Atlanta. The city is not taking any refugees at this time. If you can, stay indoors.</em></p>
<p><em>It has been reported that other cities across the nation have also secured safe zones at this time. Accurate and timely reports are getting harder to acquire. We will report every ten minutes while we can. Stay safe.</em>"</p>
<p>The report ended and some classical music began to play. We all sat in silence for a while as the music played in the background.</p>
<p>"Can I use you phone?" I asked Merle frantically.</p>
<p>"Ain't got one," he grumbled back.</p>
<p>"Well then, can I use your cell phone?" I asked. "I want to call my dad and let him know I'm okay."</p>
<p>"Ain't got one of 'em either," Merle answered back. I looked to Daryl but he just shook his head no.</p>
<p><em>Damn</em>. No phones.</p>
<p>I thought for a minute before asking, "What about a computer? I can send an email."</p>
<p>Daryl replied this time. "Don' have a computer."</p>
<p>Were they serious? This was the 21st century for goodness sake. "How do you not have phones or a computer?" I jumped up shouting. I began to pace next to the recliner. I know I was misplacing my anger but I was afraid. I was terrified for my father and grandparents. I was even a little worried for my mother. My stomach tied in knots just thinking about them. For all I knew, they could be dead.</p>
<p>"Fuck!" I screamed, slumping back down into the recliner feeling deflated.</p>
<p>"That pretty much sums it up," Merle added.</p>
<p>We all sat quietly for a few minutes while everything sunk it. Daryl was the first to break the silence.</p>
<p>"Why didn't you stay in Atlanta?" he asked me.</p>
<p>I closed my eyes and rubbed my forehead trying to think of the best way to answer that. Instead, I questioned him. "Can you name one natural disaster or act of terrorism when the government acted effectively and quickly? Can you name one government agency that runs efficiently?"</p>
<p>When he didn't answer, I continued. "I don't trust the government. I pay meticulous attention to detail and I've noticed too many government reports that didn't add up. I did the math and I had a better chance of survival outside of the city. I took my chance," I finished with a shrug.</p>
<p>"So what, are ya good at math too?" Daryl asked.</p>
<p>I smiled before replying. "What is math? Just details. If you're like me, math comes easily. It's just noticing the details and how they fit together. I actually double majored in Biology and Mathematics in my undergraduate studies."</p>
<p>Daryl just nodded while Merle whistled.</p>
<p>"Damn doc, ya one smart skank," Merle declared. Leave it to Merle to give a compliment and an insult all in one sentence.</p>
<p>"I'm not a skank Merle," I shot back.</p>
<p>"Well you're shirt says otherwise" Merle argued with a smile plastered across his face.</p>
<p>I couldn't say anything back. Touché Merle. Nicely played.</p>
<p>Seeing my defeat, Merle got up from the couch. "Ima take a piss. Ya hungry?" he asked me. "Darylina here is a great cook. Ain't that right lil' brother? Why dontcha make ya stray somethin' to eat?" he questioned, petting Daryl on the top of his head.</p>
<p>Daryl brushed Merle's hand away. "Getcha hands off me."</p>
<p>Merle just chuckled before he strolled down the hallway toward the bathroom.</p>
<p>There was an uncomfortable moment of silence, both of us awkward in the other's presence.</p>
<p>"You want somethin' to eat?" Daryl finally asked.</p>
<p>I had never turned down food and I sure as hell wasn't going to start today. "Yeah that would be great."</p>
<p>He nodded and got up, walking into the kitchen. He opened the fridge and surveyed the contents before speaking again.</p>
<p>"Ya like sandwiches? Got ham and turkey," he yelled over his shoulder.</p>
<p>"Actually I'm a vegetarian," I hollered back.</p>
<p>He stood back up and turned around when I said that. "A wha'?" he asked.</p>
<p>"A vegetarian. I don't eat meat," I clarified.</p>
<p>Merle came back down the hall laughing his ass off. "It just keeps gettin' betta and betta. She don' eat meat," he cackled on his way back to the living room.</p>
<p>I gave him a glare before I turned back to Daryl. "Do you have any cheese and butter? I'd take a grilled cheese sandwich."</p>
<p>He nodded before adding, "Yeah, I could do that." He turned back around and I watched him getting out the ingredients before Merle walked in front of me.</p>
<p>"Hey doc, could ya take a look at somethin'?" he asked.</p>
<p>"Uhh…sure," I agreed nervously.</p>
<p>He started to unbuckle his belt and then began to unbutton his jeans before I stopped him.</p>
<p>"Merle!" I screamed covering my eyes.</p>
<p>"Dammit Merle. What the hell ya doin'?" Daryl yelled from the kitchen.</p>
<p>"She's spose to be a doc, ain't she? I got somethin' I need checked out," he yelled back at Daryl.</p>
<p>I slowly uncovered my eyes. He wasn't trying to flash me; he needed a medical opinion. That I could do. "Just so we're clear, this is a medical examination. No hanky-panky! Got it?"</p>
<p>Merle nodded. "No hanky-panky. Cross my heart and hope to die," he promised smiling. He did the whole motion, X-ing out his heart and everything. This guy could be such an ass. Although I had to admit, sometimes he could be a charming ass.</p>
<p>I smiled and then straightened my face before going into doctor mode. "Alright, tell me what's wrong."</p>
<p>"Well it burns when I pee and there's some green shit leakin' out my junk," Merle admitted with no shame.</p>
<p>"Fuck man. I'm tryna cook, not puke," Daryl called from the kitchen.</p>
<p>"Well ain't nobody tell you to listen little brother!" Merle shouted back at him.</p>
<p>I interrupted their little brotherly spat by stating, "I think I know what it is but I need to examine your penis just to be sure."</p>
<p>Merle looked like he was just about to crack a joke when I added, "no hanky-panky remember?"</p>
<p>His Cheshire grin faltered and he nodded. He unzipped and pulled down his pants. I was not expecting him to be commando so it was a bit surprising when penis was on display so fast. I tried to cover up my surprise by asking, "Is it okay if I examine you now?"</p>
<p>"Sure thing doc," he replied with a small smile. I could tell he was having a hard time keeping his sexual banter to himself.</p>
<p>I examined him and then gave him the clear to get re-dressed.</p>
<p>"When was the last time you had unprotected sex?" I asked.</p>
<p>"Shit doc. Honestly, I don' know. I always hit it raw," he responded wiggling his eyebrows.</p>
<p><em>Eww</em>. That was gross.</p>
<p>"Well that's what got you in this mess Merle," I reprimanded him. "You really need to use protection when having sex. You have gonorrhea."</p>
<p>"Again?" Daryl asked from the kitchen. "Ya think you'd learn ya damn lesson."</p>
<p>"Shit happens." Merle shrugged his shoulders. "What do I take for it?" he asked me.</p>
<p>"Lucky for you gonorrhea can be treated with antibiotics. Ceftriaxone, azithromycin and doxycycline all work. But the problem is getting the medication. With all hell breaking loose, getting the medicine will be tricky," I explained.</p>
<p>"Don' worry bout that doc. Ol' Merle here can handle that. We can get 'em in the morning," he concluded. "Cops should be busy anyhow."</p>
<p>"Foods ready," Daryl announced.</p>
<p>"Just a sec. I need to wash my hands," I said before heading back to the bathroom. I washed my hands twice and quite thoroughly before I joined the Dixon brothers at the kitchen table. Both brothers were already eating as I sat down to join them.</p>
<p>I took a bite of the grilled cheese sandwich before humming in appreciation. "Thanks, this is really good," I complimented.</p>
<p>"Don' know how you can eat afta that," Daryl commented pointing his head in Merle's direction.</p>
<p>"I've seen worse during my residency. You get used to it and a bit desensitized. I can eat after pretty much anything now," I admitted.</p>
<p>We ate in silence for a while before Daryl spoke up with a mouth full of sandwich. "We should try and get some supplies and weapons tomorrow. We don' know how long this gonna last. Like Merle said, the cops will be busy."</p>
<p>"Yeah, you're right," I agreed. "We should get as much as we can tomorrow…before someone else does. We should probably stock up on food too."</p>
<p>"I can hunt," Daryl proclaimed.</p>
<p>I smiled at him before responding. "Yeah that's great and all except I don't eat meat."</p>
<p>"Why?" he asked still chewing a huge chunk of his sandwich.</p>
<p>I grimaced. "I don't like the taste of it," I answered honestly.</p>
<p>"Well ya might have to eat it to survive. Don' know how long this shit will last." Daryl asserted.</p>
<p>"I don' care what we do tomorrow as long as I get to take our pretty doc here to get my meds," Merle declared and it was obvious that by 'meds' he meant controlled substances. Man had the subtlety of an ox.</p>
<p>"Of course," I nodded in agreement. That was the cost of my security in our little group. I had to do it. I had absolutely nowhere else to go. And if I was being honest, a part of me was a little excited. I had never done anything even remotely illegal. It would be kind of nice to partake in a little anarchy.</p>
<p>With that, we finished eating and I offered to clean the dishes since Daryl cooked. The boys both sat on the couch discussing the details of tomorrow's itinerary while I cleaned the plates and pan. When I was done, I walked over to the living room and sat down on the recliner.</p>
<p>"Now that that's settled, I'm goin' ta sleep," Merle said getting up. "Sweet dreams doc," he winked at me. He patted Daryl on the shoulder before walking off down the hallway, disappearing into his bedroom.</p>
<p>Now that Daryl and I were alone, that awkward feeling settled over us like a thick blanket. I don't know why the uncomfortable atmosphere was only evident when we were alone. Maybe it's because he was sitting there squinting his eyes looking sexy as fuck.</p>
<p>Whoa! Where the hell did that thought come from? Slow down there ovaries.</p>
<p>I cleared my throat trying to rid the uneasiness I felt when alone with him. "Do you have a blanket I could borrow?" I asked him, purposely avoiding eye contact.</p>
<p>"For what?" he inquired.</p>
<p>"To sleep with on the couch," I answered a bit confused. Did he expect me to sleep on the couch with nothing all night?</p>
<p>"You can sleep in my room," he countered. "Best I sleep by tha door."</p>
<p>I was flattered for a moment before I realized that it was actually just the smartest move. He was a skilled hunter and took down those four corpses without a sweat. It made the most sense for him to guard the only door.</p>
<p>I thanked him before getting up and walking down the hallway. I was so consumed with my thoughts about how good his arms looked in that cutoff shirt that I didn't realize I opened the wrong bedroom door. Merle's naked butt cheeks were on full display as he lied buck ass nude on top of his comforter.</p>
<p>"Oh my gosh!" I yelled in panic. Merle slept in the nude!</p>
<p>Merle lifted his head off his pillow and looked over his shoulder at me. "See somethin' ya like doc?"</p>
<p>I couldn't speak. I didn't know what to say. I was so embarrassed. So I did the only thing I could think to do. Like a mute with wide eyes, I reached for the doorknob and closed the door. Then I hauled ass across the hall to Daryl's room and went in, closing the door behind me. I rested my back against the door and closed my eyes for a few minutes while I berated myself. This day just kept getting worse.</p>
<p>Opening my eyes, I flipped on the light switch and looked around the room. There was a full size bed in the middle of the room that was made in a haphazard way, as if the person didn't really know how to make it up properly. There was a worn dresser that had seen better days under the bedroom's only window. The closed curtain was old and looked like it had been around since the 70s. He had a toolbox on the floor next to the dresser on one side and a shotgun on the other side. He only had one small nightstand that housed a ridiculously tacky lamp. It was a fishnet covered leg in black high heels with a lampshade on the top. It didn't really seem to fit with the room and if I had to guess, I would say it was a gift from Merle. The biggest atrocity was a giant deer head that hung on the wall above the bed. Other than that, the room was bare minus a few shirts and pants strewn across the bed.</p>
<p>In all, the bedroom was small and deteriorated like the rest of the cabin but it was also fairly clean. It was now clear that the cabin was as clean as it was because of Daryl. From the peak I got of Merle's bedroom, Merle didn't give a rat's ass about cleanliness or hygiene for that matter. A picture of Merle's ass popped into my mind and I shook my head. Best to think of something else.</p>
<p>Walking toward the bed, I gathered up the few articles of clothing into a pile and placed them on top of his dresser. I took off my black Nike running shoes and placed them next to the dresser on the floor. I then made my way back to the bed and sat down on top of the crocodile green bedspread. The bed was not as comfortable as I was used to, but it would do. I lied down and smelled Daryl's scent permeating from the bed. That distinct smell of gasoline, oil and whiskey consumed me as I closed my eyes. I tried really hard not to think about the last time Daryl washed his bedding. Instead, the memory of his captivating blue eyes haunted me as I drifted off to sleep. <em>I wonder if he always squints</em> was my last thought before I fell asleep, exhausted from a horrible day.</p>
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<p>
  <strong>Please review and let me know what you think of this chapter! I love to read comments and they help me stay motivated to write more!</strong>
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<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>I woke up from a heavy induced sleep like I had a hangover. I never knew I could sleep that deeply. Morning light filtered through behind Daryl's curtain, making the room glow a soft dijon yellow. I wiped the sleep from my eyes and sat up. I've always been a morning person and it seemed that even during an apocalypse, my internal clock was still true. It had to be around 7:30 in the morning if I had to wager a guess.</p>
<p>I stood up and stretched, hearing my back crack in the process. His mattress sure as hell wasn't an orthopedic mattress, that was for sure. I sat back down on the bed and put my Nikes on before getting up and making the bed—properly of course. With that, I exited the bedroom and headed for the living room.</p>
<p>Daryl was sitting on the recliner, sharpening his hunting knife when I walked over.</p>
<p>"Morning," I said as I sat on the worn couch.</p>
<p>Daryl looked up from his task to give me a nod before turning his attention back to his knife. We sat together quietly for a while—Daryl sharpening his knife with me lost in my thoughts. It was comforting in an odd way and neither of us seemed ready to end it. Of course, Merle had other ideas.</p>
<p>"Y'all sure do look cozy over there," Merle said walking over to us. "Did ya bump uglies after I went to bed?" he asked waggling his eyebrows before joining me on the couch.</p>
<p>"Shut the hell up Merle," Daryl warned with narrowed eyes.</p>
<p>"Calm down there lil' brother. It's not my fault ya couldn't get her panties off," Merle antagonized while stretching out his arms.</p>
<p>"How do you know he didn't?" I questioned Merle with a velvety voice. Both brothers looked at me with wide eyes and open mouths.</p>
<p>Daryl was the first one to recover. "What the hell ya talkin' bout?" he asked incredulously.</p>
<p>"Just giving Merle a taste of his own medicine," I confessed with a small grin.</p>
<p>Merle laughed before patting my shoulder. "I like her. She's got humor," he said in a praising manner.</p>
<p>I gave him a smile in return before looking at Daryl who still seemed uncomfortable with the whole conversation. Merle must have been looking at Daryl too because he spoke up again.</p>
<p>"Don't be so uptight brother. Jus' havin' fun. No harm intended," he chuckled.</p>
<p>Daryl grunted a "whatever", got up, and went to his room.</p>
<p>"Is he okay? Did I take it too far?" I asked a little nervous about upsetting Daryl.</p>
<p>Merle shook his head before answering. "Naw, he'll be fine. Ain't as funny as me is all."</p>
<p>With that, Merle got up and made his way to the kitchen. He began opening cabinets and the refrigerator before he finally sat at the table.</p>
<p>"You eat cereal? Got Cheerios," he offered.</p>
<p>"Sure, but I'm going to go to the bathroom first," I replied.</p>
<p>I walked down the hallway to the bathroom where I relieved myself before washing my hands. Of course, this bachelor pad had no hand towels so I was forced to use my shirt to dry my hands. I looked in the mirror and noticed a large bruise forming on my right temple from struggle with the corpses on the highway. Ugh, it was going to take a while to heal. I noticed my hair also looked like a hot mess again as the bun had gotten loose during sleep. I quickly re-did my hair in the same style until I was pleased with the end result.</p>
<p>Next, I smelled my underarms which weren't as clean as I like but weren't rank smelling either. I would definitely have to pick up some things for myself when we went out today. Spotting a bottle of mouthwash, I poked my head out the bathroom door before yelling, "is it okay if I use some of the mouthwash?".</p>
<p>Merle hollered a "go 'head" back at me so I stuck my head back inside the bathroom and closed the door. Happy I didn't have to live with morning breath, I took a swig of mouthwash without touching the bottle. Who knew what kind of diseases Merle was carrying around.</p>
<p>Feeling more like myself, I exited the bathroom and joined Merle at the table. I made a bowl of cereal and we ate in silence. When Merle was done, he placed his dish in the sink and went outside. Trying to be a decent house guest, I made sure to wash Merle's dishes along with mine. By the time I was done doing the dishes, Daryl came out of his room dressed in fresh clothes carrying his crossbow and a shotgun.</p>
<p>"Ya ready?" he asked as he opened the front door.</p>
<p>"Aren't you going to eat?" I asked a bit startled.</p>
<p>"Ate early," he explained. " C'mon, we got places to go," he said gesturing for me to exit the cabin.</p>
<p>I felt odd leaving the house for some reason until I realized that it was because I didn't have a purse. It was strange not carrying something around.</p>
<p>Outside, Merle was leaning on the truck smoking a cigarette. Daryl walked past me to load his crossbow and shotgun in the bed of the truck while I looked around. Now that it was light out, I could see the property better. In the light of day, the place looked more of a dump than it did last night. It was also in a more heavily wooded area than I previously thought. There were trees every which way I looked. The only path free of trees was the dirt road that led up to the property and a small clearing in the front of the cabin filled with junk and trash. The only thing that didn't seem to fit in with the depressing scenery was a newer motorcycle parked near the shed.</p>
<p>"You gettin' in or what?" Daryl asked a little irritated.</p>
<p>I didn't realize I had been stuck in my mind again. "Yeah, coming," I answered and headed to the truck. Looked like I was riding in the middle again. This time though, Daryl was driving and Merle was riding in the passenger seat.</p>
<p>We took off down the dirt driveway and drove for fifteen minutes down country roads with no traffic. We hadn't encounter any corpses yet so the day was starting off to a good start. We changed directions and drove on a highway for five minutes before entering a town. It was a small town of 6,589 residents if the sign on the side of the road was still accurate.</p>
<p>As we drove down the main drag of town, it was clear that all the residents either left to head to Atlanta for sanctuary or locked themselves inside. It was a ghost town. We didn't see a single person or corpse. It looked like today might be a good day after all.</p>
<p>Daryl pulled into the parking lot of <em>Bobby Allen Sporting Goods</em> store. The store looked rather big compared to the other stores surrounding it. Obviously, this town enjoyed the outdoors. From the houses we saw in town, it was probably because the indoors were depressing as hell.</p>
<p>Once out of the parked truck, Daryl and Merle both went to the bed of the truck to get their weapons. Daryl grabbed his crossbow while Merle went with the shotgun.</p>
<p>"Why am I the only one without a weapon?" I asked a little peeved. Those corpses could attack me too.</p>
<p>Merle laughed while Daryl got something else out the bed of the truck. "Here," he grumbled shoving a crowbar into my hand.</p>
<p>Well that was better than nothing. "Thanks," I mumbled.</p>
<p>Merle spoke next. "We're goin' to hit this store first. Gotta break the window to get in. Might be dangerous inside so stick close," he said, pointedly looking at me.</p>
<p>I nodded in reply. I was really starting to get excited now. I, Natasha Mikhelson was about to break the law.</p>
<p>Just as Merle approached the window, I also felt crippling fear. Oh shit. I was about to break the law! I didn't get a chance to think too hard about everything though because Merle took the shotgun and fired at the window. It shattered instantly and Daryl went in first. Merle nodded for me to go in next so I followed Daryl and Merle took the rear. Once inside, the brothers grabbed backpacks and started to fill them.</p>
<p>"Grab anythin' ya might need later," Daryl barked at me.</p>
<p>Okay so he was definitely still pissed about my little joke earlier. Rolling my eyes, I grabbed the nearest trekking backpack and looked around. Honestly, I had no idea what to get. I had never camped a day in my life. I did, however, spot a clothing section. Not to be the one to look a gift horse in the mouth, I made my way over to the women's apparel section.</p>
<p>There were lots of yoga pants and shorts as well as running compression pants and leggings. I grabbed a bunch, picking the cutest pairs as fast as I could. I folded them then rolled them up, trying to fit as many clothes as I could in the backpack. There were some cargo pants that looked hideous but I grabbed a pair just in case. I then made my way over to the tops and grabbed several fitness tank tops with built in bras. I grabbed some regular tank tops and racerback tops and added those to my bag as well. Next, I added some sports bras to my new wardrobe. Lastly, I spotted some ankle socks and picked up three packs of those to dump in my backpack as well. Unfortunately, I didn't spot any underwear but I did find some bikini bottoms that would work in a pinch. I grabbed as many as I could and stuffed them in my backpack. I grabbed the bikini tops just for the hell of it.</p>
<p>"We got company!" Merle shouted and I froze. There were five corpses filtering into the store from the broken window.</p>
<p>"I got 'em" Daryl announced and made his way over to the corpses with his crossbow. He shot one and reloaded his crossbow. He shot the second one and did the same process for the third. He didn't have enough time to reload before the fourth corpse was within reach, so he grabbed his knife and jammed it under the corpse's chin through its skull. He ripped his knife back out of its head before running to the next corpse and stabbing it straight through the eye socket. He looked out the window before shouting, "More's comin'! We gotta leave!"</p>
<p>Merle suddenly appeared next to me. "Ya betta start movin' ya ass girlie if ya want to keep it alive," he taunted as he stalked past me carrying a backpack, two duffle bags and Daryl's shotgun.</p>
<p>I rushed to follow him as I did enjoy being alive. Daryl ran back and grabbed three duffle bags and what looked like a new crossbow. We made our way out of the store and threw everything in the bed of the truck before trying to load up.</p>
<p>There was a large group of corpses heading our way from every direction. "Get in the truck," Daryl yelled, pushing me into the open door. He climbed in right after me and started the engine while Merle fired some shots at the corpses that were too close. Blood splattered all over the pavement and Merle began laughing hysterically like he was actually having fun.</p>
<p>Daryl leaned over me and opened up the passenger door. "Get in the damn truck Merle!" he shouted over Merle's cackling. Merle hopped in and closed the door right as a corpse bumped the truck trying to get in. "Jus' havin' a bit of fun brother," Merle explained as we drove off.</p>
<p>"Dumb ass. Ya gonna get ya'self killed," Daryl huffed out in frustration.</p>
<p>"Naw," Merle replied. "Where we goin' next?"</p>
<p>Daryl shook his head before answering. "We gotta go somewhere else now. Too many walkers in this town."</p>
<p>"Why do you call them walkers?" I asked, interest piqued.</p>
<p>"'Cause they're the walking dead," he shrugged.</p>
<p>I mulled it over in my head. It made sense. "I like it," I finally declared.</p>
<p>"So? Like I care," he grumbled out.</p>
<p>Well damn. Excuse the hell out of me. Geez this guy was no fun when he was pissed.</p>
<p>"I think sound attracts them," I said, mostly to Merle since Daryl was being a jerk. "I think your shotgun was like ringing a dinner bell, alerting them of our presence."</p>
<p>"Why ya think that?" Merle asked.</p>
<p>"Well when I was running, after my car ran out of gas, I noticed that the people who screamed the most were the first ones attacked. I think I got as far as I did because I didn't scream…I was too busy running," I explained.</p>
<p>"Could be right. We should be more quiet from now on," Daryl decided.</p>
<p>I rolled my eyes. Of course, I was right.</p>
<p>Merle hummed in agreement. "Where we headed now?" he asked Daryl.</p>
<p>"Was thinkin' bout goin' to the Rite Aid on Coulson Avenue. We could get ya meds there," Daryl suggested.</p>
<p>"Sounds good," Merle nodded.</p>
<p>Luckily, Rite Aid was only another ten minute car ride. When we pulled up, there were two walkers near the entrance. Daryl put the truck in park and hopped out to grab his crossbow. He skillfully killed both walkers with little effort on his part.</p>
<p>"Ready, lil' lady?" Merle asked me with a huge grin.</p>
<p>Obviously, he was ready to get high. That or he was just tired of it burning when he peed. It could have been a mixture of the two. Merle got out of the truck next and I followed after him. He still had the shotgun in his hand when we met up with Daryl near the entrance.</p>
<p>"How do we get in?" Daryl asked Merle.</p>
<p>The security gate was down which made breaking in pretty difficult. I spotted one of the walkers had a Rite Aid shirt on.</p>
<p>"Maybe that one has keys. Looks like an employee," I said pointing the dead female walker that Daryl shot first.</p>
<p>Daryl made his way over to the walker and began searching her. He looked up with a smile and let a set of keys dangle from his hand. Jackpot.</p>
<p>He walked over to the security gate and started trying keys. The third key he tried worked and he was able to open the metal gate so we could access the door. The door was locked but Daryl found the key to that too and we went in.</p>
<p>"You should pull the metal gate back down. That way, any walkers or people that pass by can't see us. We can take our time that way, as long as we're quiet," I explained.</p>
<p>Daryl nodded and looked at Merle behind me.</p>
<p>"Yeah, yeah, I got it," Merle complained.</p>
<p>Daryl flicked on the lights and the store illuminated as Merle pulled down the gate.</p>
<p>"Okay, I will get the medications. You guys can get the first aid, food and anything else you can think of," I ordered and it felt good to be the one in control for a change.</p>
<p>"I'm goin' wit you doc," Merle announced. "Gotta make sure you get the good stuff," he said smiling like it was Christmas.</p>
<p>"Okay, fine," I agreed, rolling my eyes with a small smile on my face.</p>
<p>Merle and I made our way to the back of the store where the pharmacy was located. He hopped over the counter first then helped me over.</p>
<p>"What do we get first?" he asked.</p>
<p>"Antibiotics. That's a priority. Trust me, you don't want to leave gonorrhea untreated," I informed him as I made my way through the medication aisles.</p>
<p>I found all three antibiotics and placed them in a Rite Aid carrying basket I found near the pharmacist's cash register. I then began to look for all the prescriptions to make Merle a very happy man. I shook my head, smiling to myself. He was going to be high as a kite once he started taking these. Next, I looked for any medications that would be good to have on hand. I placed those in the carrying basket too until it was full.</p>
<p>Merle followed me around like a lost puppy as I gathered all the medicine. It was clear he was really itching for a high.</p>
<p>"We can gather the other supplies now," I told him. "Here you can carry the basket with all the medications if it makes you feel better."</p>
<p>"Damn doc, ya really know how to make a guy hard," he said and licked his lips.</p>
<p>
  <em>Eww.</em>
</p>
<p>Feeling mildly creeped out, I turned around and walked away from him. I might need to look for some pepper spray too while I was here.</p>
<p>As I made my way to the first aid section, I passed the seasonal aisle and stopped. I spotted a large summer beach bag that I could haul stuff in so I grabbed one. It was an added plus that it was cute with rainbow stripes and little pineapples covering it.</p>
<p>I walked back to the first aid section and threw bandages and other items into my bag until I was satisfied. Next, I went down the feminine hygiene section. It may be the apocalypse but I was sure my period wasn't going to be taking any breaks, so I grabbed two boxes of tampons. I spotted a razor and shaving cream so I added those to my bag as well. I usually got waxed but that didn't seem like an option these days and I sure as hell wasn't going hippie <em>au natural</em>—not if I could help it.</p>
<p>I continued browsing the aisles, picking up a toothbrush, toothpaste, mouthwash, deodorant, shampoo, conditioner, hair bands, a hairbrush and double ply toilet paper—the stuff at the Dixon cabin was atrocious. While I was picking up the toilet paper, I grabbed wet wipes as well. You never know when you might need one. Next, I picked up bars of soap since they weighed less and lasted longer than body wash.</p>
<p>Feeling accomplished and satisfied with my finds, I grabbed another beach bag and joined the Dixon brothers to help gather food items. I made sure to include two boxes of Luna bars and some goldfish crackers just for me.</p>
<p>After another ten minutes, we were done.</p>
<p>"Al'ight. Lets get the bags and head out," Merle commanded.</p>
<p>We all grabbed as much as we could carry and headed to the truck. We ended up only making two trips and the boys carried most of the stuff.</p>
<p>We were able to load all the items into the truck bed with no problem. In fact, we hadn't seen any walkers except the first two.</p>
<p>"I'm driving," Merle announced. "C'mon. You can get in on this side," Merle offered opening the door for me.</p>
<p>Daryl had just gotten in on his side when Merle suddenly pushed me backwards and I fell onto the asphalt. He jumped in the truck, slammed the door, and started to reverse. Before I could fully understand what was happening the truck was already taking off, speeding out of the parking lot.</p>
<p>I jumped up in full panic mode.</p>
<p>"Wait!" I screamed, running after the truck. "Come back!"</p>
<p>The truck never slowed down and soon it turned the corner and disappeared from sight. Suddenly, walkers started to come out from between the buildings, attracted by the noise. My stomach dropped and fear gripped my heart like barbwire. It felt like death's slow embrace.</p>
<p>I was alone.</p>
<p>They left me behind.</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <strong>Thanks for reading! As always, any reviews or feedback is much appreciated!</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>Thank you so much to everyone who left reviews! You all are amazing and keep me motivated with this story. </strong>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>I stood still in the middle of the parking lot, unable to move. My mind felt numbed by what just happened. I couldn't believe it. I was alone. Completely and utterly alone, left behind by those I trusted.</p>
<p>A choked sob wretched itself out of my throat as I realized how finite my mortality was. I was going to die in the middle of nowhere, thousands of miles from anyone who knew me. I would become another nameless corpse, wandering the streets endlessly in search of human flesh. I would be nothing more than a monster, a predator to my own species.</p>
<p>I took in my surroundings and felt an icy chill run down my spine. Walkers from every direction were filtering into the street, shuffling toward me with eager anticipation. I knew I couldn't fight them all. I had only once choice.</p>
<p>Run.</p>
<p>I took in a shuddering breath and started sprinting back to the Rite Aid entrance. When I made it to the front of the store, I quickly turned around and lowered the metal security gate behind me. I couldn't lock it but I hoped like hell the corpses didn't know how to lift it up. Hopefully, it would buy me time to think. I needed to figure out a way to escape. My mind raced but my thoughts were all jumbled due to my adrenaline spike and the betrayal that just took place.</p>
<p>I took in a deep breath and tried to calm myself as I paced back and forth. It took me a few moments to gather my wits about me but I soon determined I needed two things: a weapon and an exit strategy.</p>
<p>I ran down the various aisles of the store, frantically searching for anything I could use. The best thing I found was a large patio umbrella. I could use the pole to keep the walkers away from me but I decided against it. It would be too cumbersome to run with and I couldn't chance it. I wasn't a fighter.</p>
<p>If I had to choose between fight or flight, I would choose flight every single time. I knew I was a damn good runner and I could run for long distances so I decided to use that as my greatest asset. If I could find a weapon later on, that would be great. If not, I would need to keep a fast and steady pace until I found a safer place to hide out in.</p>
<p>Feeling mildly comforted by the fact that I had a plan, I moved on to my next objective: finding an exit.</p>
<p>I couldn't go through the front of the store since it was flooded with walkers intent on devouring me so I knew I had to find another way out. I ran through the aisles again until I noticed a red <em>Emergency Exit</em> sign above a set of double doors in the back. Of course! A store like this would have a warehouse to receive and hold shipments. I gave a short manic laugh in celebration as I ran toward the double doors.</p>
<p>I made my way through the warehouse trying to avoid falling over anything in my mad dash to the exit. I was so focused on finding the exit that I didn't scan the area for walkers. I realized my mistake too late when a corpse popped out between two stacks of pallets and grabbed me by my shirt. The smell of rotting flesh overpowered my senses as the corpse descended upon me in a desperate attempt to eat my face. I screamed as I tried to pry myself from its deathly grip on my shirt. The walker lunged for my face and I narrowly dodge it by lowering myself down until I slid out of my tank top.</p>
<p>Now I definitely couldn't die. I was wearing nothing but my burgundy lace bra. I'd be mistaken for a stripper corpse, and that seemed way more degrading than dying in my True Blood tank top—even if the word <em>Fangbanger </em>was written across the front of it in large script.</p>
<p>Free from the walker, I ran while my eyes searched my surroundings for any other surprises. Instead of danger, I found the back door and quickly ran through it. Bad mistake. There were walkers roaming in the alley behind the loading dock. I turned to try to go back inside the warehouse but the door was locked from the outside. I had only one choice…run like hell and hope for the best.</p>
<p>I felt my heart pounding mercilessly in my chest as I took off like a bullet from a gun. I hopped down from the loading dock and sprinted past five walkers into the woods behind the alley. I didn't stop when I hit the tree line; instead, I ran faster. Branches scraped my stomach and chest as I ran but I didn't slow down. If there were that many walkers in town, I needed to get out.</p>
<p>The wooded area didn't last long however. Soon, it opened to a road lined with houses. I stopped and crept out of the tree line slowly, looking for any sign of trouble. Seeing no walkers in the immediate area, I continued down the street.</p>
<p>I noticed there was an abandoned car parked haphazardly in the middle of the road. The car door was open so I approached the vehicle with caution. Hopefully, if I was lucky, it would start and I could get the hell out of town. As I got closer to the black sedan, I noticed it was unoccupied so I climbed into the car in search of keys.</p>
<p>"Please let the keys be here," I repeated over and over again, hoping it would somehow work and reveal the keys. It didn't. Unsuccessful in my endeavor, I decided to search for a weapon instead. I got out of the car and went to the rear driver's side door and opened it.</p>
<p>The back seat was filled with boxes like someone had packed in a hurry. I squealed with delight when I saw a metal baseball bat sticking out of one of the boxes. It looked like it had already been used if the dried blood splatter on the end was any indication. Next, I spotted a red Atlanta Falcons football jersey. I grabbed it and threw it on, grateful for the coverage it provided me. It smelled like sweaty armpits and man funk but I tried not to think about it. I had bigger issues to deal with at the moment.</p>
<p>I continued scavenging the car when suddenly, I heard a loud engine roaring down a street nearby. <em>They came back for me</em>, I thought with unrestrained excitement.</p>
<p>I picked up the baseball bat and sprinted toward the noise. I ran down another residential street before turning left down an alley toward the sound. I could hear the engine going farther away from me and I started to panic again. I begged them to wait for me in my mind while I ran as fast as I could. I turned down another street and came to a halt. It wasn't a truck disappearing down the road but a cherry red Camaro. And whoever was driving that Camaro was too far for me to catch up with.</p>
<p>A sickening feeling of hopelessness returned to me as I found myself alone once again. I heard a gurgling sound and turned to my left. There was a walker with half a throat shuffling toward me. I started to run again with no clear direction where I was headed. I seemed to be following down the same road behind the Camaro as it seemed just as good a road as any.</p>
<p>My heart clinched in fear as walkers began to bleed into the street, attracted by the noise from the Camaro's engine. I sped up my pace thinking I could outrun them. It worked for a block before I had to stop in the intersection. I couldn't run past the walkers in front of me without getting too close. As if sensing my presence, one of the walkers sniffed the air then turned around in my direction.</p>
<p>
  <em>Damn. They could smell us too. </em>
</p>
<p>More walkers seemed to do the same action as if my scent lingered in the air. I turned to my right and left but both streets were heavily occupied with the walking dead. I turned around to glance behind me and found fewer corpses with gaps between them—but the gaps were closing fast.</p>
<p>There were at least twenty walkers closing in on me from all angles. I would have to push myself to sprint faster than I ever had in order to make it through the closing gap between walkers. Otherwise, I would have to fight, and I didn't like my odds.</p>
<p>I took off, sprinting for the closest opening. I was approaching them fast, but not fast enough. The gap was closing rapidly and it didn't look like I would make it.</p>
<p>I came to an abrupt halt ten feet away from the walkers. I turned around and ran back to the middle of the intersection. My heart beat wildly in my chest as the realization of my situation set in. I was just prolonging the evitable.</p>
<p>A swell of panic swirled within me and I felt overwhelmed with emotions. I couldn't take it anymore. I screamed in the most animalistic way possible and crumpled to my knees, bowing my head in defeat. This was it. This was how I was going to die.</p>
<p>The corpses continued to make their slow approach toward me as I sat in the middle of the road defeated. My body shook as I cried, knowing I would soon be eaten alive. They would devour me in the most gruesome way possible. Despair and fear circled around my body in a dance of doom, beckoning death's cold embrace.</p>
<p>
  <strong>Fight.</strong>
</p>
<p>An inner voice commanded.</p>
<p>I couldn't move. My fear held me captive.</p>
<p>
  <strong>Fight or die!</strong>
</p>
<p>It shouted.</p>
<p>I took a deep breath, gathering any remaining courage within me. I got up from the ground on wobbly legs and stood in the middle of the intersection. Sweat dripped down my neck and arms as my heart beat frantically in my chest. I couldn't hear the grunts or shuffles of the walkers over my own erratic breathing. I held the bat tightly in a white knuckled grip as I tried to prepare myself for battle. I couldn't think straight as my body vibrated from a renewed adrenaline spike, causing me to tremble and shake. My stomach clinched in knots and I realized for the first time in my life, I might actually shit my pants.</p>
<p>It's weird how some thoughts can have such a profound impact on a person. I guess I always thought I would have a more classic motivational thought that inspired me to go up against great odds. Something like <em>Carpe Diem</em>. How wrong was I? The thing that lit a fire under my ass was the thought of shitting my pants. Somehow in my brain, shitting my pants rated worse than being eaten alive. When this was all over, I really need to find a shrink.</p>
<p>Trying to expel any fear and doubt, I screamed until my throat felt raw and shredded like coarse sand paper. I <em>had</em> fight. I <em>had</em> to survive.</p>
<p>Lunging for the closest walker to me, I swung the bat, putting as much force as I could muster behind the swing. The corpse's head sunk into itself with a sickening crunch, causing blood to spray over my face and chest. The smell of decay and death clung to my nostrils as the blood dripped down my face but I ignored it. My mind needed to stay focused on the task at hand.</p>
<p>I only had a few seconds before another corpse was upon me. Lifting up the bat again, I swung upwards this time, hitting the corpse in the jaw. It fell backwards onto the ground as its arms still struggled to grab me. I quickly stood over it before reaching my arms above my head and swinging the bat downwards onto its skull. Blood splattered all over me as I repeated my assault until its head and the asphalt were mingled together as one.</p>
<p>I was starting to feel a manic, euphoric surge of power flow through my veins when I felt another walker grab me from behind, making me fall on my butt. The mindless corpse tripped over me and landed by my feet. Not stopping to think, I took my bat and began to beat the walker on its back as I made my way to its head. Just as I got to my knees, I delivered a death blow, hearing a loud crack as my bat made contact with its skull.</p>
<p>By the time I had finished with that corpse, there were too many walkers closing in on me. I screamed in defeat as I swung my bat in every direction frantically. I was so fucked. I couldn't fight this many at once.</p>
<p>I swung hard at a walker right in front of me, hoping to strike its head. Instead, the walker reached out and grabbed the bat, pulling me closer to it. I screamed harder as I stared into its decaying face as its mouth grew closer to me. I closed my eyes and waited for the first bite when suddenly, I heard squealing tires and a revving engine from my right.</p>
<p>My eyes shot open just in time to see an old, beat up blue truck plow through a group of five walkers nearby. I heard a car door open and suddenly, I saw an arrow appear through the skull of the walker in front of me. It made one last gurgling sound before it fell on the ground, revealing Daryl in the distance.</p>
<p>"Natasha!" he yelled, beckoning me toward him with his hand. "C'mon girl, I ain't got all day," he shouted, and started reloading his crossbow.</p>
<p>I didn't need to be told twice. I got up and sprinted toward Daryl who shot another walker in the head. As soon as I reached him, he grabbed me by the waist and thrusted me behind him as he attacked a nearby corpse with his knife. He quickly reloaded his crossbow as he backed us toward the truck.</p>
<p>More walkers were zeroing in on us and it didn't look good. There were still too many walkers around us to fight off. I felt a gut wrenching, sickening fear seize my stomach as I realized we were being swarmed.</p>
<p>"Daryl," I whispered in a broken voice as I clutched onto his shirt. I couldn't finish the rest my sentence. The words had died in my throat.</p>
<p>
  <em>At least I wasn't going to die alone. </em>
</p>
<p>A string of gunshots went off, shaking me from my thoughts as Daryl grabbed me by my wrist and pulled me behind him as bodies hit the floor. My mind couldn't catch up with what was happening until I saw Merle standing on the running board of the truck firing his shotgun.</p>
<p>"C'mon ya rotten fucks. Let Merle blow a hole in ya brain," he shouted, laughing with a sick sense of pleasure.</p>
<p>I had never been so happy to see someone. We could survive this. I was going to live. I started sobbing wildly in gratitude as Daryl and I ran toward the truck with renewed vigor.</p>
<p>When I got close enough to the open door, Daryl ordered me to get inside the truck as he turned around and took off. I hopped inside the truck and watched anxiously as he went back to retrieve some of his arrows while Merle covered him.</p>
<p>As soon as Daryl made it back to the truck, Merle got in and put the truck in reverse before turning it around and driving off.</p>
<p>"Are you okay?" Daryl asked worriedly as we headed down the road.</p>
<p>"I'm…I'm…" I stuttered helplessly. I couldn't speak. I couldn't even think straight.</p>
<p>Everything had happened so fast that my mind was mush. I couldn't focus on anything but the violent tremors attacking my body as I cried uncontrollably.</p>
<p>Done waiting for me to respond, Daryl frantically started searching my body, checking for bites and scratches. He was very thorough yet gentle as his eyes and hands roamed my body looking for any sign of infection. I heard him mutter an apology before he lifted up my shirt to check my stomach and back.</p>
<p>I couldn't do anything but tremble and sob as I allowed him to search me. I heard him take in a deep breath and I squeezed my eyes shut as I waited to hear the bad news.</p>
<p>There was a long moment before I heard him finally release his breath, then suddenly he was grabbing my face between his hands, capturing me in his gaze.</p>
<p>"You're okay Natasha," he revealed as he wiped my tear stained cheek with his thumb. "Ya hear me? You're just fine," he assured me in stern voice.</p>
<p>My hazel eyes found his and I searched them for any sign of deception. His gaze was intense and sincere, yet there was a swell of emotions swimming behind his normally sea foam blue eyes. Right now, they looked murky and dark like a bad storm passing through and I realized with a shuddering breath that he had been worried for me.</p>
<p>"You're okay," he repeated again, more softly this time.</p>
<p>I let out a mangled sob and cried earnestly. I couldn't believe it. I had actually survived!</p>
<p>Daryl rubbed my arms in a reassuring manner and I leaned into the touch until I closed my eyes and rested my head on Daryl's chest. I desperately needed a sense of security and comfort so I took what I could get. I felt Daryl's body go rigid under me but I was too selfish and weak to care. After a moment, I felt his arms wrap around me awkwardly before he finally held me in his arms. I could tell he was unused to the gesture but was trying to comfort me as best he could.</p>
<p>"I…I'm…okay," I repeated out loud, more to myself than anyone.</p>
<p>"You're just fine," he promised, whispering into my hair.</p>
<p>"I…can't…stop…shaking," I mumbled and hiccupped, still unable to communicate adequately.</p>
<p>"That's the adrenaline still in ya body," he explained. "Shock is probably why ya can't stop crying," he added after a moment.</p>
<p>He was right. I was still crying. Feeling too feminine even for myself, I tried to gain control of my emotions and cut off the waterworks. I tried to focus on that as we continued on our journey back to the cabin. It was damn near impossible until the adrenaline slowly ebbed away and I was able to calm down. Once the adrenaline left my system, I felt exhausted, both physically and mentally. Unable to fight it any longer, I listened to the sound of the truck's engine as I drifted off to sleep in Daryl's arms.</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <strong>Please leave a review and let me know what you thought of the chapter!</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Daryl shook me awake when we arrived at the cabin.</p>
<p>"We're here," he said as he began exiting the truck.</p>
<p>I rubbed my eyes and was startled to see the color red when I brought my hand back down. I noticed with nauseating guilt that I had blood all over me. Everything came crashing back into my mind with brutal force.</p>
<p>
  <em>Abandonment. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Running.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Scavenging. </em>
</p>
<p><em>Killing</em>.</p>
<p>The images of the day played back in my head in vivid detail, forcing me to relive it all over again. I began breathing erratically in short rapid succession. I felt like I was drowning in a rip current, unable to come up for air. I was going to suffocate to death in an old beat up truck covered in blood. That thought spurred an even worse reaction and I started to claw at my chest, desperate for air.</p>
<p>"Slow ya breathing. Ya gotta calm down," Daryl commanded, grabbing my hands and pinning them to my lap.</p>
<p>I struggled against him as I continued to hyperventilate, taking in large gasps of air far too quickly. Daryl stayed with me, his eyes glued to mine as he reminded me to control my breathing. He began counting reps in a soothing manner, urging me to follow along with him. He kept my hands pinned down until I was able to take longer and deeper breaths, finally regulating my breathing. As I got a hold of myself, I realized with shock that I had just experienced my first ever panic attack.</p>
<p>"I'm okay," I said after a while.</p>
<p>Daryl nodded and released my hands. He got out and left me alone in the cabin of the truck while he started unloading the supplies we scavenged from earlier. I remained where I was, too shaken up to move just yet. It was then that I noticed Merle for the first time since he helped rescue me. He was smoking a cigarette on the front porch staring at me with a puzzled look on his face. I did the only thing I could think of. I flipped him off.</p>
<p>The bastard had the nerve to smile and laugh.</p>
<p>I got out of the truck then. I didn't want to be anywhere where I could see Merle. I couldn't be around him for a while. The sting of betrayal was still raw and fresh in my mind. I had actually grown to like him, which made me feel that much more hurt by his actions. The whole situation reminded me of my mother and I just couldn't bring myself to deal with any of it. Trying to ignore and bottle up my emotions, I headed for the cabin.</p>
<p>"What? Ya not gonna say nothin' to ya buddy Merle?" he taunted as I passed him on the porch.</p>
<p>I heard Daryl tell him to leave me the hell alone before I entered the cabin and closed the door behind me. There were already some supply bags in the living room that Merle must have brought in first. I noticed the trekking backpack that I had stolen from the sporting goods store and let out a breath of gratitude. I could shower and wash away all the blood and walker remains off me. I headed toward the living room and knelt in front of the backpack. Just as I opened the bag to check its contents, the front door opened and Merle sauntered in.</p>
<p>"Now listen up doc. I ain't gonna have no woman here wit an attitude," he told me crossing his arms over his chest.</p>
<p>I looked up at him and a swell of emotions flowed through me. "You left me," I choked out. The hurt evident in my eyes.</p>
<p>"Yeah, shit happens. Get over it," he shrugged. When I didn't respond he continued. "Didn't need no doctor no more. Besides, you should thank me. 'Cuz of me, you now know ya have it in you to fight…to survive."</p>
<p>Pure, undiluted rage boiled up inside me like a volcano ready to burst. I spotted a can of beans in the bag next to me and without stopping to think, I picked up the can and threw it at Merle's face. There was a sickening loud crunch as Merle's nose broke at an unnatural angle and blood gushed down his face. Merle let out a howl in pain as I stood up.</p>
<p>"I bet you could use a doctor now, huh?" I snarled savagely.</p>
<p>"Stupid bitch! Ima kill you!" he roared back at me, still holding his nose.</p>
<p>"You already tried!" I screamed as Daryl ran through the front door.</p>
<p>He looked at me, then at Merle, then back at me. "What the hell's goin' on?" he questioned.</p>
<p>"Stupid bitch broke my nose!" Merle shouted.</p>
<p>"Yeah and you tried to kill me. I almost <em>died</em>!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. I lunged for him when Daryl caught me and threw me backwards against the wall.</p>
<p>"Ya need to calm the hell down," he yelled, chastising me before he turned to Merle. "And you did that to ya'self," he accused, pointing at Merle's face. "You asked for that broken nose an' ya know it."</p>
<p>Merle's eyes widened before going ablaze. "Ya choosin' her side?" he seethed accusingly. "Where's ya loyalty baby brother? You really gonna let som' nigger pussy com' between us?" he growled and spit at the floor in disgust.</p>
<p>"Fuck you Merle!" I bit back icily from behind Daryl.</p>
<p>Merle sneered and rushed toward me but Daryl intercepted him and pushed him back.</p>
<p>"Don't put ya hands on <em>me</em> little brother," Merle warned in a dangerously low tone—the threat clear as day.</p>
<p>"I ain't lettin' you near her so jus' back the hell up," Daryl argued back, keeping his stance in between us.</p>
<p>"Wha'? Ya think Ima hit her?" Merle asked in a snarl.</p>
<p>"Well you did try to <em>kill</em> me," I blurted snidely over Daryl's shoulder.</p>
<p>Daryl's head whipped around and he gave me a bone-chilling glare.</p>
<p>"I told you to shut up," he warned, pointing his finger in my face. "I ain't gonna repeat myself again."</p>
<p>Something about a pissed off Daryl made my insides shrivel up. His eyes were harsh and calculating, reminding me that he was a damn skilled hunter and not someone to be trifled with. Although something about his eyes told me his words were more for my protection than anything else. Maybe Merle was more dangerous than I had previously assumed. I swallowed and nodded mindlessly, too frightened to argue.</p>
<p>When he felt confident with my obedience, he turned his attention back to Merle who was gloating in the background, clearly pleased with my reprimand.</p>
<p>"And you," Daryl continued, his voice dripping with irritation. "Quit ya bitchin' and clean ya'self up. You woulda done far worse if you were her," he finished, pointing to Merle's broken nose.</p>
<p>Merle sneered and gave Daryl a scathing look which got no reaction from the hunter. He sucked his teeth in annoyance before finally letting out a loud breath of frustration.</p>
<p>"Give me ya damn rag," he demanded, holding out his hand.</p>
<p>Daryl offered it to Merle and he snatched it before quickly bringing it to his nose. "The hell wit the both of ya. Next time, I ain't goin' back for the bitch," he yelled before turning around and going back outside.</p>
<p>Daryl turned his attention back to me. "I ain't gettin' in tha middle of it no more," he declared roughly, giving me a pointed look.</p>
<p>He let out a loud breath and collected himself before speaking again. "If ya wanna stay wit us, make it right wit Merle," he advised. "Go wash up first. Ya look awful." He sniffed the air and grimaced. "…and ya stink too," he said, leaving to join Merle outside.</p>
<p>I looked down at myself and I couldn't disagree. Not only did I have blood all over me, covering me in a putrid stench, I was also wearing the smelly Atlanta Falcons jersey I took from the black sedan. Letting out my own breath of frustration, I picked up the trekking bag, along with the Rite Aid beach bag and headed for Daryl's room.</p>
<p>Once inside, I closed the door behind me. In a fit of anger, I took off the Falcons jersey and threw it across the room where it landed on the floor. I leaned against the door and let out a mangled sob in anger. My situation was so fucked up. I wanted nothing more than to walk out of the front door and take my chances out on my own, but I knew I couldn't. I experienced trying to survive with walkers first hand today and I almost died. As much as I hated to admit it, I needed the Dixon brothers to survive—which meant I needed to fix things with Merle…even if I wasn't the one in the wrong.</p>
<p>That revelation made me feel even worse. I slid down the door until I sat with my knees near my chest and cried. This time, tears of anger mixed in with tears of sadness. I let the tears fall freely, not caring if the brothers heard me or not.</p>
<p>After a few minutes, I forced myself to get up. Even without the jersey on, the smell of rotting blood clinging to my hair and skin was too strong to ignore. Getting the essentials out of my bags, I headed to the bathroom.</p>
<p>I put the shower on lukewarm since it was already getting hot in the cabin. I took off my soiled clothing, got under the shower spray and immediately began to wash my body. I watched as the water at the bottom of the tub turned brown from all the blood and filth on me. Next, I washed and conditioned my hair before brushing it in the shower since my curly hair always detangled faster while soaking wet. I washed my body one more time for good measure before just standing under the spray.</p>
<p>I let the spray rinse away all the dirt and bad memories from the past twenty-four hours while I cried once more. I cried for everything that was lost, every emotion I was feeling and didn't understand, and I cried for the family I might never see again.</p>
<p>When the water finally turned ice cold, I turned the shower off and got out. I brushed my teeth and towel dried my hair before getting dressed in a pair of black yoga shorts, and a purple fitness tank top with a built in bra.</p>
<p>Looking in the mirror, I forced myself to smile. Despite everything that happened, despite feeling broken and beaten, I was still alive. I couldn't let this break me. I had to survive. If I could find another group nearby, I would ditch the Dixon brothers and go with them. For now, I had to make this situation work. However, the betrayed part of me vowed to be on constant vigilance from now on. I could forgive, but I would never forget. With that thought, I exited the bathroom feeling mildly better.</p>
<p>I walked to Daryl's bedroom first to put away my stuff before heading to the living room. Daryl was sitting in the recliner checking out one of the new guns we had gotten earlier. I sat down quietly on the couch and folded my legs Indian style, trying not to disturb him.</p>
<p>"Hey," I said hesitantly, not sure if he was still pissed.</p>
<p>After the fiasco earlier, I wasn't sure if Daryl still wanted me around. It was obvious that I had overstepped a line and caused Daryl to be at odds with his brother. I didn't regret breaking Merle's nose, but I did regret putting Daryl in that position. Especially since he had been nothing but nice to me.</p>
<p>Daryl turned and just stared at me for a long while, not saying anything. His eyes roamed over me in a slow, curious fashion like he was cataloging everything about me. It reminded me of the way I dissected him the night before and I briefly wondered what he thought of me.</p>
<p>Feeling self-conscious, I cleared my throat as I fidgeted under his intense gaze. His eyes shot up to mine and held me there for a moment before he schooled his features and looked away from me.</p>
<p>"Ya don't stink no more," he said in a gravelly tone as he gave the gun in his hands ample attention. If I didn't know any better I would say his cheeks looked a little pink. Although, it might have just been the Georgia heat getting to him. It <em>was</em> hot as hell in the cabin.</p>
<p>"Where's Merle?" I asked, changing the subject.</p>
<p>"Why? So's you can brake his nose again?" he questioned with a raised eyebrow.</p>
<p>"No," I corrected. "I was actually going to set his nose straight. Like you said. If I want to stay, I need to make things right with Merle."</p>
<p>He gave me a nod before answering. "He's in his room. Now's a good time to go talk."</p>
<p>I started to get up from the couch when he continued. "Merle can be a right bastard sometimes. He ain't always bad though," he confessed.</p>
<p>"I know," I said, giving him a small sad smile. The truth was, I did know and that's what made my chest hurt. Merle and I had some decent moments together. But none of it matter. In the end, he chose to leave me behind.</p>
<p>As if reading my thoughts, Daryl added, "He did come back. That's gotta count for somethin'." He gave a small shrug when I looked at him and focused his attention back on the new gun.</p>
<p>I picked up a bottle of antibiotics from our stolen stash before I made my way down the hallway and knocked on Merle's door.</p>
<p>"What?" Merle mumbled from his room.</p>
<p>"It's me…Natasha. I wanted to talk. Can I come in?" I asked and waited with baited breath. I was suddenly nervous. My survival really depended on the outcome of this conversation.</p>
<p>Merle opened the door. "Wha' the hell you want?" he asked in a sluggish manner.</p>
<p>There was already swelling around his nose and bruising forming under both eyes. Upon closer inspection, I could tell he was already high off some pretty potent controlled substances as indicated by his dilated pupils and slurred speech. Now was the perfect time to talk to him. He'd be much more agreeable.</p>
<p>"I wanted to set your nose straight," I answered. "You don't want it to heal broken. You'll look like Owen Wilson and you're much too handsome for that," I said smiling. Okay…I was laying it on thick but hey, I needed to make things right with him—even if he was a douchebag and this situation was entirely his fault.</p>
<p>Merle smirked at me. "Aww doc. I knew ya liked me," he said, giving me kissy lips. "Why dontcha come in," he teased and stood aside, gesturing for me to enter his room.</p>
<p>Damn, I might have overdone the flattery too much. He was giving me creepy uncle vibe now.</p>
<p>I stood near the door a bit uncomfortable to be in his room. It was a pigsty. His room was the same size as Daryl's, but it seemed smaller due to all the junk and trash in it. There was a full-size unmade bed in the center of his room with a recliner in the corner. Next to the recliner was an end table that housed a vulgar sculpture of a pair of women's breasts. A wood dresser with missing drawers and broken parts lined one wall with clothes hung out of the broken drawers and trash littered the top. In fact, there were clothes and beer cans scattered all around the room. And of course, it wouldn't be Merle's room without a poster of a naked porn-star spread eagle hanging on the wall above his bed.</p>
<p>"Take a seat," Merle ordered as he slowly moved past me and sat on his bed.</p>
<p>Well I sure as hell wasn't going to sit on his bed, not with knowing he had gonorrhea. For all I knew, other STDs were probably running rampant on his comforter too. Instead, I walked over to the recliner and sat on the very edge of it.</p>
<p>"I brought you some antibiotics for your gonorrhea. This is doxycycline. You need to take it twice a day for seven days," I instructed, placing the bottle on the end table near the recliner.</p>
<p>"Your nose should heal within two to three weeks. And your black eyes should disappear within two weeks," I said in full doctor mode. "Most broken noses heal naturally but yours is at an odd angle. I have to set it so it heals properly," I explained. "Normally, I would prescribe pain medication but you already have an ample supply of those…<em>thanks to me</em>," I added with an emphasis. Yeah, I threw that in his face. I never said I wasn't petty.</p>
<p>"Well it's a good thing I already took som' then," he admitted, oblivious to my slight against him.</p>
<p>"Do you want me to set it now?" I asked awkwardly. It was a little weird interacting with intoxicated Merle. He wasn't nearly as aggressive or hostile when high…at least off pain pills. In fact, he was rather friendly. That may be why Daryl suggested I make peace with him. He probably knew his brother would be high when I came to talk to him and therefore, more agreeable. I smiled at the thought.</p>
<p>"Now's as good a time as any," he shrugged, interrupting my thoughts.</p>
<p>I nodded in agreement. I got up and walked over to him. I stood in front of him while he remained seated on his bed. "Okay, I'm going to count to three, then realign the bone fracture," I informed him.</p>
<p>He just nodded.</p>
<p>I smiled inwardly, knowing this would hurt him. Good, he deserved it.</p>
<p>I counted to two then snapped the bone back into its rightful place. Merle groaned in agony.</p>
<p>"Damn doc. I thought ya said on tha count of three," he complained.</p>
<p>I gave him my best innocent look before answering. "Did I say three? Hmm…I could have sworn I said two."</p>
<p>"Shit. Maybe ya did," he wondered aloud.</p>
<p>It was obvious that the pills were really taking effect now. Merle barely noticed his nose after I realigned it. That and he was currently smiling like a kid at a circus. Thinking now was probably my best shot at getting a truthful answer, I asked him the question that had been burning in my mind.</p>
<p>"Why did you leave me behind?" I blurted out before I lost my nerve.</p>
<p>Merle took a deep breath before answering. "Didn't need no dead weight. Got what I needed from ya," he admitted with no shame.</p>
<p>"I'm a doctor," I replied. "Anyone with a smidgen of intellect knows how valuable a doctor is, especially in times like these," I explained as if it was obvious. Although now that I thought about it, Merle wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed. Perhaps I overestimated his intelligence.</p>
<p>He shook his head before answering. "Neva needed a doctor growin' up. Don't need one now."</p>
<p>"Yeah well your penis would beg to differ," I said without thinking. Merle gave me a stern look of disapproval at my words before telling me to "Fuck off".</p>
<p>I huffed out in frustration. I really needed to learn to think before I spoke. Trying to get the conversation back on track, I mumbled a halfhearted apology. When he didn't throw me out of his room I continued.</p>
<p>"It's just that…I thought you liked me. I actually thought we were becoming friends. And then you just left me behind. It hurt," I admitted.</p>
<p>Merle was quiet for a moment as his eyes lazily roamed around the room before refocusing on me. He gave me a lopsided smile before answering. "I do like ya doc…" he revealed. "…even if ya are a <em>nigger</em>," he added in a conspiratorial whisper. I rolled my eyes. He chuckled before his smile disappeared and his face got serious. "But ya ain't kin to me and we ain't bumpin uglies. I ain't got no reason to protect ya. Nothin' personal sweetheart," he divulged. "Weren't no dead bastards 'round when we left ya. Thought ya had a chance," he added with a shrug.</p>
<p>His answer made me hate him a little less. But something still bugged me.</p>
<p>"Then why did you come back?" I asked.</p>
<p>"Spotted som' walkers on our way outta town," he said slowly, lying back on his bed. He closed his eyes and started whistling some tune unknown to me. I took that as my cue to leave. It was obvious he was high as hell and was in his own world now.</p>
<p>Walking out of his room, I felt conflicted. He left me behind for logical reasons…even if he wasn't smart enough to realize it wasn't really logical. Seriously, who leaves the doctor behind? But he did come back for me when he saw the walkers on the edge of town. And he openly admitted that he was fond of me. Not to mention the fact that he did help save me—even if he was the reason I needed to be saved in the first place.</p>
<p>I shook my head. I was too mentally exhausted to try to figure all this out right now. I put it in my "to review at a later date" compartment in my brain and made my way back to the front of the cabin. Daryl was still lounging in the recliner but he was inspecting a new weapon.</p>
<p>"Is that a machete?" I asked amazed. I had never seen one in person before.</p>
<p>"Yeah," he replied sheathing it before looking up. He took a moment to assess me before asking, "You okay?"</p>
<p>I was surprised by the sincerity in his voice so I took a minute to really think about the question. "Yeah," I answered after a minute. "I am now."</p>
<p>"Good," he nodded before picking up a new knife to inspect.</p>
<p>I sat down on the couch and watched him for a while before my eyes grew heavy with the need for sleep. I was still so tired from all the running and the loss of adrenaline that my body felt like it was on the verge of collapse. Not wanting to walk all the way to the back of the cabin for a bed, I laid down on the couch and curled up in a fetal position.</p>
<p>I closed my eyes and just began to drift off to sleep when I heard Daryl suddenly get up. My eyes shot open and I sat up in alarm, looking around the room in panic.</p>
<p>I stared at him on the verge of tears, too scared to let him out of my sight. My heart raced wildly in my chest and I felt my throat close up in fear. I couldn't go through being abandoned again. <em>I couldn't</em>.</p>
<p>"Please don't leave me," I choked out, my voice cracking with fear.</p>
<p>Daryl gave me a hard, concerned look, appraising me again. He nodded once then walked over to where I was on the couch.</p>
<p>"Scoot over," he ordered and gestured for me to move.</p>
<p>I put my feet back on the floor and slid over to one end of the couch, keeping my eyes trained on him the entire time. He pulled something out of his pocket then sat down.</p>
<p>"I wasn't leavin' ya. Was jus' standin' up ta get my whetstone outta my pocket," he explained, holding the item up for me to see.</p>
<p>I grimaced, instantly feeling guilty about my accusation. However, my newly formed fear of abandonment was real and unrelenting. He watched the various emotions play over my face but said nothing. He didn't condemn me or get irritated. Instead, his squinty gaze spoke of understanding and patience. I realized he wasn't mad at all, just concerned for me.</p>
<p>I gave him a small smile of thanks as I took in a deep breath to calm myself. "What's a whetstone?" I asked, steering the conversation away from my current abandonment issues.</p>
<p>"It's what ya use ta sharpen knives wit," he answered and spit on the whetstone.</p>
<p>I made a disgusted face which caused him to chuckle softly.</p>
<p>"Ya spose ta do that. Helps wit lubrication," he explained with a smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth.</p>
<p>I gave him a disbelieving look but watched him as he grazed the end of the knife over the gritty surface. He drug the knife back and forth, over the whetstone in a rhythmic fashion that appeared well trained, like he had done it so often that it was second nature to him now.</p>
<p>I continued to watch him for a while until my eyelids fluttered with the need for sleep. I blinked lazily, each blink taking longer and longer to open again as I fought against exhaustion. Finally, my eyes remained closed and I was ready to give in to my body's demand for sleep until I realized what I was doing. My eyes shot open again as my mind whirled in panic.</p>
<p>Daryl stopped what he was doing and looked at me. "You can go ta sleep," he offered, gesturing to the armrest of the couch for me to lay my head on. He must have noticed the panicked look on my face because he continued. "I ain't goin' nowhere," he promised in a hard voice, capturing me in his gaze.</p>
<p>I never met anyone who could communicate with their eyes like Daryl. He wasn't much for talking but his eyes spoke volumes. Right now they were hard and brutally honest, telling me his words were true. He wouldn't leave me.</p>
<p>"Thank you," I choked out, my voice wavering with more emotion than I could handle.</p>
<p>He nodded once then turned his attention back to the knife in his hands and resumed sharpening it.</p>
<p>I adjusted my position, pulling my feet up on the couch and laying my head on the armrest on top of my hands. I was in a fetal position once again. I closed my eyes slowly and forced down the panic that emerged within me. I could trust Daryl. I <em>did</em> trust him. But I still found my feet sliding down the couch until I felt his body with my toes. It was just the barest of touches but the proximity made me feel comforted and secure. As long as I could feel him, I could sleep. He wasn't going anywhere without me.</p>
<p>I focused on that thought as I listened to the rhythmic whisking sound of Daryl sharpening his blade. It wasn't long before darkness took me, my body too exhausted to fight it any longer.</p>
<hr/>
<p>I woke up and looked around the room quickly, making sure I hadn't been left behind while I was unconscious. Thankfully, Daryl was on the end of the couch where he was when I fell asleep. He looked to be waking up himself as he raised his head off the back of the couch to look at me.</p>
<p>I smiled sheepishly, once again feeling guilty about doubting him. I looked down to see my feet snuggled up under his thigh and I blushed fiercely as I tried to discreetly pull my feet away from him.</p>
<p>Daryl said nothing and acted like he didn't notice, even though we both knew that he did. His eyes never missed anything.</p>
<p>"Thanks for staying with me," I offered meekly, a little awkward at being so co-dependent.</p>
<p>He nodded once. "Ya hungry?" he asked, changing the subject. "Thought maybe we could eat somethin'."</p>
<p>I smiled. "Yes, that sounds amazing."</p>
<p>He stood up and made his way to the kitchen where I noticed for the first time that all the food bags were already piled in there. I concluded that he must've organized the bags while I was in the shower earlier.</p>
<p>"We got a lot of food out of Rite Aid. Anything ya wanna eat in particular?" he asked opening the bags to show me the contents.</p>
<p>I looked through the bag and said the first item that piqued my interest. "Mac and cheese sounds good," I told him.</p>
<p>"Mac n' cheese it is," he agreed taking the box out of the bag.</p>
<p>"I'll cook lunch," I offered, taking the box out of his hand. It was the least I could do. Daryl had protected me and taken me in when I had nowhere else to go. He even stayed with me while I slept—something that made my heart a little more fond of the squinty eyed hunter.</p>
<p>I cooked in silence while he sat at the table watching me. It should have been unnerving as hell but it was comfortable this time without all the awkwardness that plagued us before.</p>
<p>When the Mac and cheese finished cooking, I made two bowls and brought it to the table.</p>
<p>"Smells good," he commented before taking a bite. "Tastes good too," he said with a mouth full of food.</p>
<p>"Thanks, it's a hard recipe but I try," I joked giving him a small smile. I took a bite of our cheap lunch and hummed in appreciation. It did taste good. That or I was so hungry even cardboard would taste good.</p>
<p>We ate in silence some more before I put my fork down and spoke up. "Thanks for rescuing me," I said looking at him wholeheartedly. It was long overdue and I needed him to know how much I appreciated what he did. "You didn't have to come back for me, but you did," I continued, hoping he understood the weight of my words. "You saved my life <em>again</em>. Thank you."</p>
<p>I picked up my fork to start eating when Daryl spoke up. "Ya weren't there when we went back. Had to find ya. Otherwise, we woulda been there faster," he confessed.</p>
<p>A warm feeling emerged in my chest. I nodded and smiled, and we began to eat in silence again.</p>
<p>When lunch was finished, I cleaned the dishes while Daryl picked up his new crossbow. He started for the door when I asked where he was going. My clinginess was apparently here to stay.</p>
<p>"Checkin' the woods for walkers," he grunted out. "Maybe huntin' too," he said in that gravelly tone of his that made my ovaries do backflips. Damn. I really needed to get a handle on myself. For now, I would just blame it on emotional distress. I did almost die today. It sounded like a good enough excuse to me.</p>
<p>"Can I come too?" I asked. I didn't really want to go back out there with the walkers, but I couldn't really rely on Merle's intoxicated ass to save me. My best chance was with Daryl and truthfully, I just felt safer when he was around.</p>
<p>"Not wearin that," he said with a smirk.</p>
<p>I looked down at my purple tank top and black yoga shorts.</p>
<p>"What? it's hot!" I explained.</p>
<p>"Yeah it is," he agreed. "But ya legs won't thank ya if you go out in 'em woods like that."</p>
<p>"Okay, well hold on. I'll go change real fast," I said heading for his room.</p>
<p>"Ain't neva heard of a woman being able to do that before," I heard him mutter as I entered his bedroom.</p>
<p>I changed into a pair of black leggings and threw on some ankle socks and my Nikes before heading back to the living room. I found Daryl leaning up against the doorframe, looking all sorts of ruggedly handsome. I bit my lip to keep from smiling. <em>Damn</em> that man was good looking.</p>
<p>"It took ya ten minutes ta change. Ain't nothin' quick bout that," he said shaking his head.</p>
<p>"Well I had to match my leggings with my top. It took time to find a pair that matched <em>and</em> reached my ankles," I explained.</p>
<p>"Whatever," he grunted out and opened the front door for me.</p>
<p>We exited the cabin and stopped dead in our tracks. A red Camaro was speeding down the dirt driveway followed by a black Chevy suburban with tinted windows. A cloud of dirt trailed behind the vehicles until they came to a screeching halt in front of the cabin.</p>
<p>"Fuck," Daryl grunted and pushed me slightly behind him.</p>
<p>"Is this bad?" I asked nervously.</p>
<p>"Very," he replied quietly. "Keep ya mouth shut," he instructed.</p>
<p>I noticed he had a hard grip on his crossbow and stood in a tense and calculated posture as if he was ready for an attack. Whoever was in the red Camaro was bad news. My stomach tied in knots again as we waited for the occupants to exit the cars.</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <strong>Thank you to all of the wonderful readers who have left comments on previous chapters. Reading your comments really make my day. I love reading your reactions and seeing you all engage with my story. Thank you so much!</strong>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>I peeked around Daryl's shoulder and watched as the driver of the red Camaro got out of the car. The guy was huge—at least 6'5 with a lean but muscular build that suggested he was a man's man and knew how to hold his own in a fight. He wore a plaid button down shirt tucked into a pair of blue jeans that looked like they were crafted especially for him by how perfectly they molded his legs. An obnoxiously large belt buckle hung from his waist and sparkled in the sunlight like a thousand jewels. He completed his show stopping attire with a pair of leather boots and a suede cowboy hat that he wore flawlessly like a crown. The guy oozed cockiness but he owned it and made it his.</p>
<p>The cowboy sauntered toward us with a swagger that looked effortless but demanded attention. As he stopped in front of the porch, I was able to see his face better and boy was I not disappointed. The man was devastatingly handsome. He had an angular face that was all lines and symmetry with a strong jaw covered in just the right amount of stubble. The man was downright sexy and I had trouble not slobbering like a damn fool. He was the modern day Marlborough man and I suddenly found myself jonesing for a smoke.</p>
<p>I heard the doors from the SUV open and turned to see three men emerge from the black SUV. It was clear right away that they were local residents by the worn state of their clothes and the distinct hillbilly vibe that surrounded them like a second layer of skin. Apparently, cutoff shirts and dirty jeans were all the rage around here.</p>
<p>To my horror, I noticed all of the men were armed. Two of the men carried pistols in the waistband of their jeans while the third carried a sawed off shotgun in his hand. It was in a relaxed posture but the threat was as clear as day. I didn't know what the hell was going on or who these men were, but I knew a show of force when I saw one.</p>
<p>If that wasn't bad enough, I noticed that each man sported a large swastika tattoo on his left forearm. <em>Great—more racists. Just what I needed.</em> I tried not to panic as I instinctively took a step closer to Daryl and tried to wish myself invisible.</p>
<p>It didn't work.</p>
<p>My movement caused one of the men's gazes to flicker over to me and I watched as his eyes swirled with barely restrained rage and hostility as he took in my appearance. I swallowed loudly and tried not to fall as my legs almost gave out beneath me. The man sneered cruelly then spat his tobacco juice on the dirt in front of him, clearly disgusted by my presence.</p>
<p>"Who's she?" the man demanded in a rough voice, jutting his chin in my direction.</p>
<p>Daryl took a protective step forward, covering me from view. "None of ya damn business," he snapped, ending the conversation.</p>
<p>"Ya fuckin' niggers now?" I heard one of the other men ask, equally outraged and repulsed.</p>
<p>Before Daryl had the chance to respond, the cowboy intervened. "Enough," he ordered, in a casual tone.</p>
<p>I was surprised how quickly the men silenced themselves so I took a peek around Daryl so I could see. I watched as the cowboy ascended the porch stairs and walked toward us in a cocky gait that oozed confidence. I noticed he lacked a tattoo on his left forearm which should have made me feel better but something in the man's eyes made my skin crawl. There was a wicked gleam in them that felt innately wrong, like something dark and sinister loomed just beneath the surface, waiting to strike and devour its prey. The man gave me a dazzling wide smile that he wore like a prized possession. I attempted to give him a polite smile in return but the queasiness and churning in my stomach multiplied tenfold, making my smile appear more like a grimace.</p>
<p>"Daryl" the mystery man greeted in a thick southern drawl, ignoring me for the time being.</p>
<p>"Lyle," Daryl growled back. "Whaddya want?"</p>
<p>"Now, now. Is that anyway to talk to a friend?" Lyle asked, opening his arms in a wide, fake cordial manner.</p>
<p>Daryl gave him a contemptuous glare. "Ain't no friend of mine," he contradicted with rising hostility.</p>
<p>"I guess you're right," Lyle admitted and dropped his artificial smile. His smile vanished so fast that I had to blink twice just to make sure I was seeing correctly. He replaced it with a glare so dark and menacing I had to force myself to breathe properly. "I'm here to see Merle. Now why don't you be a good dog and let your master in," Lyle commanded in a chilling tone that was laced with an unspoken threat.</p>
<p>His sudden change in demeanor startled me so much that I felt like my mind had just been whip-lashed. In the span of a few minutes, he went from a dazzling cowboy to the most menacing and terrifying man I'd ever met. I could see the promise of danger swirling around in the depths of his green eyes, the monster lurking inside him wanted to come out to play. I shivered unconsciously as I swallowed down the bile rising in my throat.</p>
<p>Daryl stood still for a moment in defiance before grabbing my wrist and turning around. He led us into the cabin as Lyle and his men followed close behind. Lyle made his way into the cabin and stopped.</p>
<p>"Looks like you and your brother have been busy," he stated, noticing the bags from our earlier outing. "Interesting," he mused out loud, rubbing his hand along his chin.</p>
<p>Daryl didn't respond. Instead, he turned around with me still in his grip and began walking down the hallway. We went three steps in the direction of Merle's bedroom before we were stopped.</p>
<p>"Now hold on there boy. Where are <em>you two </em>going?" Lyle asked in a humorless tone.</p>
<p>"Ta get Merle," Daryl responded through clenched teeth, barely containing his anger.</p>
<p>"You don't need her to go with you," Lyle said smoothly, looking in my direction. He let his eyes roam over my body in a scandalized fashion before adding, "Such a pretty thing like her can keep me company."</p>
<p>My blood turned to ice. I didn't want to be anywhere near that man. I went from placing him in a "potential wet dream" compartment in my brain, to wanting to wash my mind out with bleach just to rid myself of his memory. The man was handsome but there was a sadistic psychopath hiding beneath the surface.</p>
<p>Daryl's hand tightened around my wrist so hard it was beginning to hurt. As painful as his grip was, I didn't say anything. It felt like my only lifeline and I didn't want him to let go.</p>
<p>Lyle walked closer to us until he stopped in front of me—way too close for comfort. He loomed over me in an intimidating manner, his tall stature making him that much more imposing. He seemed genuinely pleased with my discomfort and I realized with horror that he was getting off on freaking me out. His eyes haunted me for a different reason this time as they twinkled with a perverse promise of pain for pleasure.</p>
<p>"What's your name sweetheart?" he asked in mock gentleness.</p>
<p>My throat suddenly felt dry.</p>
<p>"Natasha," I answered, my voice just above a whisper.</p>
<p>He hummed in appreciation and I swear I could almost feel the vibration in my bones.</p>
<p>"Such a beautiful name for such a beautiful woman," he replied in a husky tone. He lifted his hand up and slowly twirled a curl of my hair around his index finger in an intimate manner like he'd done it a thousand times before. A mischievous smirk appeared on his face and he licked his lips before leaning in close to me. "I wonder if you taste as good as you look," he purred in my ear loud enough for Daryl to hear.</p>
<p>My heart felt like it stopped beating altogether.</p>
<p>"She's wit me," Daryl snarled viciously and snatched me away from Lyle.</p>
<p>Logically, I knew Daryl said that to protect me but I couldn't help but smile as the bundle of nerves below my navel went aflame with delight. I think almost dying today really messed up my psyche. Now was definitely not the time to be thinking about sex…not when Ted Bundy's prodigy stood before us. I quickly let the smile drop from my face as I remembered how perilous our situation was.</p>
<p>Lyle laughed in response. "I don't care if she's your girl or not," he said returning Daryl's hardened stare with one of his own. "You don't need her to get Merle."</p>
<p>Lyle made his way over to the living room and sat on the couch like he owned it. "She can join me over here and keep me company while you go fetch Merle. You <em>can</em> fetch boy, can't you?" he taunted.</p>
<p>I looked over at Daryl but his eyes were focused into slits, glaring at Lyle. I could tell he was losing his control and I worried he would fly off the handle and get us killed. I put my hand on his chest as a gentle reminder that we were outnumbered and outgunned; we wouldn't survive a Mexican standoff. His gaze flickered to mine and I could see a multitude of emotions swirling in his ocean colored eyes.</p>
<p>We had only one real choice—do whatever Lyle wanted and hope for the best. And right now, Lyle was playing a game of control. If we wanted to survive, we had to play the game.</p>
<p>"I can keep him company while you get Merle," I offered, letting my hand fall from his chest. "You're only going down the hall. I'll be fine," I reasoned and gave him a forced smile. I inwardly praised myself for sounding far braver than I felt.</p>
<p>Daryl gave me an unsure look that lingered for a moment before he finally nodded in agreement.</p>
<p>I swallowed and took in a deep breath before I turned around to face Lyle. He was sitting on the couch with his legs spread apart in a leisurely manner that exuded a kind of smug arrogance.</p>
<p>"Right here sweetheart," he cooed, patting the spot next to him.</p>
<p>A Cheshire grin spread across his face as he waited for me to obey his command.</p>
<p>I lifted my chin in an attempt to give me courage and forced myself to keep my features neutral as I walked over to him and took a seat near the end of the couch.</p>
<p>"Uh-uh," Lyle reprimanded, wagging his finger at me. "Come closer," he purred, once again patting the spot next to him.</p>
<p>I grimaced but scooted closer until he was satisfied with my position. Lyle smiled wolfishly and put his arm around my shoulder, drawing me in even closer.</p>
<p>"Such a good girl," he praised, rubbing circles on my exposed shoulder with his middle finger. I tried to move my body away from him but he used the arm he had draped over my shoulder to keep me snug against him.</p>
<p>"Does your brother know you like to play in the mud?" Lyle taunted cruelly. I bristled next to him, understanding the meaning behind his words perfectly. "I would have thought Merle would have taught you better," he chastised patronizingly. "Although I can see the allure of this one," he mused out loud. "She is such a pretty thing, isn't she Daryl?"</p>
<p>Daryl's jaw clinched as he squeezed the crossbow still in his hand. He looked to be on the verge of attack. I couldn't understand why Daryl was letting Lyle bait him. The guy was obviously a racist so all of his taunting was for show. He wasn't interested in me sexually. But then I remembered the depraved look in his eyes from earlier and I reminded myself that he didn't have a swastika tattooed on him—at least not one that I could see. Maybe Daryl did have cause to be worried. He certainly knew Lyle better than me. That thought made my heart race just a bit faster.</p>
<p>"Please go get Merle," I whispered urgently, not wanting to spend an extra second in Lyle's presence if I didn't have to.</p>
<p>Daryl gave me a hard look that said he just wanted to shoot Lyle in the face and be done with it. And honestly, if I thought we had a chance, I might've let him do it. But I knew that the odds weren't in our favor. Daryl might be able to take out Lyle with an arrow but his three armed guards would still be a problem. No, the best thing we could do is whatever Lyle wanted. That was the key to our survival. I gave Daryl a pleading look and prayed he wouldn't do anything stupid.</p>
<p>The fire died in Daryl's eyes and he gave me a barely perceptible nod before turning and walking away in the direction of Merle's room.</p>
<p>I let out a breath of relief. That had been too close.</p>
<p>"A sweet thing like you should be rewarded for good behavior," Lyle praised in a honeyed voice. "Don't you think?" he asked playfully and began petting my thigh with his free hand.</p>
<p>I frowned, confused by his behavior. "Aren't you a racist?" I asked, suddenly infuriated. "Do your friends know you like to play in the mud too?" I sneered, throwing his words back in his face. I turned my attention to his three armed goons and gave them the biggest <em>Fuck you</em> glare I could manage.</p>
<p>A moment of clarity came over me and I immediately shrank back, completely appalled by my behavior. Was I trying to get myself killed? Lately, I seemed to be incapable of responding to situations appropriately. <em>Thanks Merle</em>, I thought bitterly.</p>
<p>Lyle chuckled, the rumbling of his chest vibrating against me.</p>
<p>"Don't mind them sweetheart," Lyle advised, dragging his hand along the back of my neck tenderly. The action was hair raising and made goosebumps rise along my arms. "I ain't part of the Aryan nation like my men here," he explained, nodding his head in their direction. "I see the appeal, but I don't take kindly to people telling me what I can and cannot do," he finished, twirling a curl of my hair around his finger.</p>
<p>I was starting to understand Lyle better. Everything he said or did was a game of control. The man had a perverse fixation with the control he held over other people and it made me wonder how he was involved with the Dixon brothers.</p>
<p>"My men ain't so keen on colored girls, but I myself enjoy a bit of variety," he explained smoothly. He leaned in close to me and let his nose graze my neck as his fingertips danced across the top of my thighs. "Although the way things are going, it might not be long before they taste some of the forbidden fruit too. Perhaps you can be the one to help with that."</p>
<p>Panic soared through me as his words registered in my mind. I thought about all the horrible scenarios that could play out if something happened to the Dixon brothers and I whimpered in fear. I would have no one to protect from Lyle and his men.</p>
<p>"Make that noise again for me Sweetheart," Lyle urged in a deep tone filled with a need I didn't want to acknowledge. My eyes wandered to his lap unconsciously and I noticed that he was clearly aroused. Apparently, my fear was an aphrodisiac to him.</p>
<p>"You're a twisted fuck aren't you?" I blurted out absent-mindedly.</p>
<p>My eyes widened in horror when I realized my mistake.</p>
<p>Lyle let out a genuine laugh before all the humor vanished from his face in an instance, leaving only cold, dead eyes. "You have no idea," he confessed, his hand creeping up my thigh. "The things I could do to you—"</p>
<p>He let the threat hang in the air.</p>
<p>His demeanor was so cold and deadly that it made me feel like I was in a graveyard. He kept his eyes trained on mine and allowed a flicker of his demented soul to peek out from behind his green orbs. There was a perverted sickness that glimmered just below the surface and I knew in that moment, Lyle was dangerous in more ways than one.</p>
<p>Daryl exited Merle's room and his eyes darkened when he saw Lyle's hand creeping up my thigh.</p>
<p>"Getcha hands off her," he roared as he rushed into the living room.</p>
<p>Lyle gave him a condescending smile, not looking the least bit worried about Daryl's outburst. I guessed he really didn't need to be with his three armed guards still there.</p>
<p>"There's no need to throw a tantrum, I was just petting your <em>kitty cat</em>," he teased wickedly, giving Daryl a sinister smile.</p>
<p>"But don't worry little Dixon," he continued nonchalantly, "I reward my dogs for good behavior. You may go Natasha," he ordered, turning his attention to me. "But go slow, so I can watch you as you walk away," he flirted and winked at me.</p>
<p>I wanted to vomit. The whole situation was making me feel ill but I wanted to get away from Lyle as fast as I could, so I swallowed past the bile in my throat and got up. I forced myself to walk slow like Lyle commanded me to, remembering that this was all a power play. I tried not to think about the fact that Lyle was watching my ass but it was hard to ignore with all his hums of appreciation, which he did to piss off Daryl. And it was working too if Daryl's scowl was anything to go by.</p>
<p>As soon as I was close enough, I grabbed Daryl's hand in mine and stood slightly behind him, trying to hide myself from Lyle's view. I noticed Daryl's body went rigid when I grabbed his hand but he didn't pull away so I kept his hand in mine. I needed the physical reminder that someone had my back and I was grateful that said someone was skilled with a crossbow.</p>
<p>"What took you so long?" I hissed into his ear. He left me with Lyle far longer than I had anticipated.</p>
<p>"Had ta get Merle dressed," he whispered over his shoulder at me.</p>
<p>I forgot Merle slept in the nude. As if on cue, Merle appeared in the hallway and made his way to the living room where everyone was gathered.</p>
<p>"It's about damn time. I'm not a man who likes to wait Merle," Lyle growled out with his signature glare.</p>
<p>"Hey man," Merle greeted more chipper than I thought he should be. "I thought you'd be one of 'em dumb dead bastards by now."</p>
<p>Maybe it was me, but I didn't think that was an appropriate thing to say given the circumstances.</p>
<p>"Not me. You might be soon though," Lyle responded casually, looking completely uninterested in the conversation.</p>
<p>He was so mercurial that I felt mentally exhausted trying to keep up with him. One minute he was a racist, then a possible rapist, then a thug of some sort and now a guy who could care less about anything. The man was mentally unstable and it showed.</p>
<p>"Well this has been a fun visit and all but I need to be going," he sighed dramatically like he was exhausted. "I'm not sure how all this shit going on in the world is going to work out. Best if I hold on to my own products for a while."</p>
<p>Wait, what? I was so confused. What the hell was going on?</p>
<p>"I lost the drugs," Merle said, shrugging his shoulders. "Too many walkers when we tried to leave. Had to fight to get out."</p>
<p>So Lyle was a drug dealer. Okay, now things were making sense. Except why the hell was Merle so relaxed about everything? It was then that I remembered he was high off prescription pills. Oh shit. We were in trouble.</p>
<p>"That was ten thousand dollars worth of product Merle," Lyle said through clenched teeth, his tone so venomous that it sent chills down my spine.</p>
<p>The look Lyle gave Merle was so murderous that it felt like all the static energy erupted in the room, causing every hair on my body to stand on end. Daryl must have felt it to because his grip around his crossbow tightened and he slid his hand out of mine as inconspicuously as he could. I realized he was preparing himself for a fight and I was not ready to die.</p>
<p>"Calm down," Merle said motioning with his hands. "Give me two hours and I'll getcha money."</p>
<p>"He's worried about money in the middle of an <em>apocalypse</em>? Lyle's a fucking idiot," I said, shaking my head in disbelief.</p>
<p>Daryl turned his head to me and gave me a death glare. Oh shit. Did I say that out loud?</p>
<p>I looked over at Lyle and his eyes were molten lava, overflowing with unbridled anger. He was <em>pissed</em>. I let out a little yelp. Fuck. I've gone and done it now. I was going to be shot by a drug dealer if I didn't fix this mess.</p>
<p>"I'm sorry," I rushed out, putting my hands up in surrender. "I didn't mean to say that out loud, I was mostly just thinking it," I explained quickly.</p>
<p>"Natasha!" Daryl hissed in warning.</p>
<p>Damn it. I wasn't helping myself.</p>
<p>"I mean," I began hesitantly—already doubting I could get myself out of the hole I put myself in. "With all the corpses running around, drug money is the least of your problems."</p>
<p>I grimaced, realizing that my explanation didn't really help my cause. I was pretty sure he was going to kill me now.</p>
<p>However, Lyle did something I didn't expect—he laughed. "You think business stops because the world's gone to shit? No, sweetheart," Lyle chided. "This is when people like me seize power," he finished with a predatory smile.</p>
<p>Great. He had plans on becoming the next maniacal overlord.</p>
<p>"But you are right about one thing Natasha," Lyle continued silkily. "Money is no longer valuable—it's worthless," he commented dryly and stood up. "And since Merle doesn't have my product anymore, it means I no longer have a use for him," he explained as casually as one would talk about the weather.</p>
<p>He turned to his guards who were still standing near the front door. "Shoot him," he ordered.</p>
<p>I froze in fear as Daryl whipped out his crossbow and had it aimed at Lyle.</p>
<p>"If one of us dies, you die," Daryl promised in a cold and calculated manner.</p>
<p>This could not be happening. I didn't survive almost being eaten alive to die in some drug deal gone wrong.</p>
<p>"Wait!" I screamed. I had to think fast. Someone needed to fix this situation.</p>
<p>"I'd like to propose a new deal," I offered, my voice cracking in fear. "If you're a businessman like I think you are, you'll listen to my proposal before you let your men shoot us." I barely got that whole sentence out without vomiting. I was absolutely terrified.</p>
<p>Lyle seemed mildly interested and motioned for me to continue.</p>
<p>"Those bags over there are full of pharmaceutical grade drugs that I'm sure you will be able to sell, even now. Actually, you will probably have an easier time selling these than your normal drugs as people will need them now more than ever. You'll have a larger customer base," I rambled and stopped. I took a deep breath and continued. "There are probably forty prescription bottles there and each bottle has thirty or more pills in them. If you sell them by the pill and not the bottle, you stand to make," I paused and did the calculation in my head ($10 a pill, multiplied by 30 for each bottle), "at least twelve thousand dollars. Or you could always barter for anything you might need or want. Either way, that should cover Merle's drugs and then some."</p>
<p>I could see Daryl giving me a weird look out the corner of my eye but I didn't have the time to decipher it. I was too busy waiting for Lyle to respond.</p>
<p>"And I'm just supposed to trust your calculations?" Lyle asked, doubtful.</p>
<p>"I'm good with math," I answered honestly. "You can double check the numbers yourself to see that I'm right."</p>
<p>Lyle looked contemplative as he stared me down, trying to determine if I was bullshitting him or not. "Colton, check the bags," he finally ordered after a few intense moments passed.</p>
<p>One of his goons walked over to the kitchen and opened the bags. He put his hand inside the bags and dug around, picking up a few bottles for inspection.</p>
<p>"Checks out Boss," Colton said, standing up.</p>
<p>"I'll accept your offer," Lyle agreed and motioned for his guards to lower the guns pointed at both brothers. Lyle raised an eyebrow at Daryl expectantly and waited.</p>
<p>Daryl grunted but ultimately lowered his crossbow.</p>
<p>"Now, that we've settled Merle's tab, we still have to discuss what you're going to offer me to sweeten the deal," Lyle said calmly, a false amicable charade coming out to play.</p>
<p>"What do you mean?" I asked, confused.</p>
<p>"Well you still need to pay me for my inconvenience. You can't expect my old customers to want this stuff," he motioned to the bags containing the prescriptions. "No, I'm going to have to find a new customer base for these. And then there's the fact that Merle didn't have my drugs. Yes, we've come to a new arrangement, but Merle still has to be punished for losing the drugs in the first place. I can't let word spread that my men can lose my products without repercussions. I'm a principled man Natasha, surely you understand that," Lyle finished with a sly smile.</p>
<p>I wanted to smack that smile off his fucking face.</p>
<p>Of course, it couldn't be easy. I just wanted to get out of this deal alive but it seemed like I just kept getting pulled deeper and deeper into the abyss. What choice did I really have? I couldn't survive on my own. My body spasmed just thinking about it. I had nowhere else to go. At least if I could get the Dixon brothers out of this mess, I could stay with them. It was the least I could do considering they saved my life twice now.</p>
<p>"What do ya want?" Daryl finally asked, pulling me from my thoughts.</p>
<p>Lyle looked around the cabin before his eyes stopped on the other bags from our earlier run. "What's in these bags?" he asked.</p>
<p>"Guns, and knives," Daryl replied, pointing to the bags in the living room. "And we got some food in the other bags over there" he added, pointing back to the kitchen.</p>
<p>"How many guns?" Lyle asked, now interested.</p>
<p>"Seven," Daryl grunted out. "Two rifles, Two shotguns, and three pistols."</p>
<p>Lyle shook his head. "That ain't enough."</p>
<p>I sighed inwardly. Was he kidding? He already had more than enough money from us! Then I remembered Lyle liked control. I realized I had to play his game. I gave myself a mental pep talk and pushed my shoulders back.</p>
<p>"Lyle," I said sweetly, gaining his attention. "It's important for us that you feel like you got a good deal. So how many more guns do we need to get to sweeten this deal to your liking," I finished and batted my eyes at him as naturally as I could. I wasn't sure if it was working but I hoped like hell it was.</p>
<p>Lyle laughed and I realized he knew I was full of shit. But he didn't call me out on it. Instead, he continued the game.</p>
<p>He walked over to me and ran the back of his hand down my cheek in a tenderly fashion. "For you sweetheart, I would say ten more guns plus ammo."</p>
<p>I heard Daryl balk at the number and I shot him a hard glare. I knew the number was ridiculously high too but I didn't expect anything better from Lyle. He was going to milk the deal for all that he could. We just had to accept that fact.</p>
<p>"Okay, we can do that," I agreed. We already stole seven guns from the sporting goods store. How hard was ten more going to be?</p>
<p>"I'll keep Natasha for collateral," Lyle announced with dark, sensual smile that made my insides crawl. "Until payment is received of course," he added as an afterthought but something in his eyes told me that was a lie. Lyle planned to keep me. His gaze held a promise of all the sinful pleasures he had in store for me.</p>
<p>Oh hell no. I couldn't stay with Lyle. I needed to find a plausible reason to stay with Daryl. As scared as I was of walkers, Lyle scared me more. There were some things worse than death.</p>
<p>I looked at Merle who was leaning against the wall. He didn't even seem to be aware of the conversation anymore as he was too doped up. Daryl couldn't go out to hunt for guns with Merle. His intoxicated ass would get Daryl killed. And I had grown rather found of the squinty-eyed hunter. That and I also didn't completely trust Merle to come back for me. After all, he did leave me to die at Rite Aid earlier this morning. I could forgive, but I wasn't dumb enough to forget.</p>
<p>"Look at Merle. He's out of it," I said, speaking up. "If you're going to get your guns, I'm going to need to go with Daryl. He needs someone to have his back out there."</p>
<p>I hoped like hell he would agree. I did not want to be alone with Lyle and his men.</p>
<p>His face was as hard and unrelenting as stone before it broke out into a thousand watt smile followed by a booming laugh.</p>
<p>"Let's leave it up to chance shall we?" he asked with glee. "Heads you go with Daryl, tails Merle goes," he explained, pulling out a silver coin. He flipped the coin high in the air before catching it in his right hand and placing it over the top of his left hand.</p>
<p>I waited with baited breath as he slowly revealed the coin that would decide my fate.</p>
<p>It was heads.</p>
<p>I took in a deep breath as I closed my eyes in gratitude. I was going with Daryl.</p>
<p>"Meet me at bar on Clearwater Boulevard in three hours with my guns and ammo or I'll kill Merle without a second thought" he informed us in a clinical manner devoid of emotion. I did not question the validity of that statement. It was obvious Lyle was a killer and meant every word he spoke.</p>
<p>I nodded in agreement before looking at Daryl. It took him a while but he ultimately gave Lyle a begrudging nod, agreeing to the terms.</p>
<p>"Until next time Natasha," Lyle purred suggestively, tipping his hat to me.</p>
<p>Leave up to Lyle to lace his parting greeting with a threat.</p>
<p>I gave him a fake smile. The faster the evil bastard left, the better.</p>
<p>He laughed at my discomfort and signaled for his men to collect his new belongings. Feeling satisfied with the new deal, Lyle left the cabin with his goons dragging a drugged Merle and our guns and medicine behind him. We remained frozen until the sounds of engines disappeared into the distance, alerting us that we were finally alone.</p>
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  <strong>I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I wanted to give Natasha a peek into what Daryl and Merle's lives were like before the outbreak. I felt like she needed to have another life or death experience that bonded her with the Dixon brothers before she met the rest of the group at the quarry. I wanted to solidify her attachment to the Dixons before her loyalty is tested. We all know the Dixons were not easy to get along with during season 1 so we will definitely see Natasha struggle at camp. Please stick with me, I promise the story will be worth it once we get there!</strong>
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  <strong>As always, please leave comments/reviews. I'm really interested in hearing your feedback on the story so far.</strong>
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<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7</h2></a>
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  <strong>Hey guys. I know it's been a while since I updated but my life has been crazy busy. It's been really hard to find time to write and edit. However, your comments and messages have really motivated me to squeeze time in whenever I could so that I could get some chapters posted as soon as possible. You all are amazing and without you, I don't think I would have gotten this far. Anyways, I have the next 2-3 chapters written so the next few weeks you will have regular updates. After that, there may be another break before I can post as often. Please enjoy this <span class="u">extremely long chapter</span> as a token of gratitude for your continued support. (I did break the chapter into two parts for those of you who need a break halfway through.)</strong>
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<p>As soon as Lyle and his men were gone, my knees gave out and I collapsed onto the floor. I let out a series of ragged breaths as the severity of what just happened hit me.</p>
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  <em>We almost died because of a drug deal!</em>
</p>
<p>My hands shook uncontrollably as my body went through a sort of delayed response to adrenaline and fear from the visit with Lyle. I had wrangled my panic into submission while the men were here but now that they were gone, there was nothing to do but let my body release the pent up emotions.</p>
<p>Daryl knelt down to help me but I waved him away. I just had to ride it out and let the emotions bubble forth and escape. Daryl watched me as my body trembled and shook until it finally died down. I took in a deep breath and let it out slowly as I centered my mind. He offered me his hand and I stood up on wobbly legs.</p>
<p>"We have three hours. Where should we go first?" I asked, getting straight to business. The faster we got the guns, the better.</p>
<p>Daryl gave me a strange look, similar to the one from earlier.</p>
<p>"You ain't gotta do nothin'," he grumbled in that gravelly tone of his. "This is Merle's shit. You ain't gotta be part of it no more. You should go," he advised, gesturing to the door. "Ya don't owe us nothin'."</p>
<p>I sighed. He wasn't wrong, but I couldn't bring myself to leave. Daryl needed my help to pull this off. Without me, his chances of success decreased dramatically. I couldn't let something bad happen to him because of me. If we got the guns, we'd all be fine. Merle would live, Daryl would live, and most importantly, I would live. It was everyone's best shot at survival.</p>
<p>"Merle's an asshole but he doesn't deserve to die," I explained with a sigh. "And you didn't owe me anything when you saved me on the highway," I added, looking at him earnestly. I wanted him to feel the weight of my words and what his action meant to me. "So I'm going with you," I declared in a stern voice. My mind was set. Daryl had no choice but to accept it.</p>
<p>Daryl gave me a hard look, clearly annoyed by my defiance. There was a moment of unnerving silence before Daryl kicked the recliner in anger, shouting obscenities. I realized it was now his turn to let his body ride out his own emotional upheaval so I gave him a moment to let out his frustration. When he calmed down a little, I spoke again.</p>
<p>"We can do this Daryl," I said encouragingly. Although my words were more of a pep talk for myself than for him. I still had misgivings about going out among an endless supply of walkers but I knew I had to do it.</p>
<p>Daryl stopped his angered pacing to look at me. "Fine," he agreed begrudgingly, sucking his teeth in annoyance.</p>
<p>"So where should we go first?" I asked again.</p>
<p>Daryl let out a loud sigh and ran his hand through his hair as he shook his head in frustration. "There's anotha sporting goods store in the next town over," he suggested. "But it's smaller than tha one we raided earlier," he admitted as an afterthought.</p>
<p>I nodded in understanding. "That's okay. It can't hurt to check," I offered, encouragingly. "I need a weapon though," I said, looking around the cabin for anything I could use against the walkers.</p>
<p>"Crowbar is still 'n the truck," he offered in a low voice.</p>
<p>I nodded again. "Works for me. Let's go," I said heading to the front door. He stood still for a moment before following after me.</p>
<p>The truck ride to the next town was quiet as my mind raced. How had my life gotten so far off track? Oh right, the infected. That was understandable to some degree, but being caught up in a drug deal was not. I shouldn't be anywhere near this kind of situation or these kinds of people. Yet here I was, driving to go steal guns to stop a drug dealer from killing the brother of the guy I sorta, kinda liked. Now my life <em>was</em> a Lifetime movie.</p>
<p>I laughed out loud at the thought.</p>
<p>"What?" Daryl grumbled from the seat next to me.</p>
<p>"Nothing. It's just my life has taken a complete turn in the wrong direction," I said shrugging.</p>
<p>He grunted in agreement before speaking. "Sorry ya in this mess. Ya shouldn't be."</p>
<p>"It's not your fault," I countered.</p>
<p>"Yeah but Merle's shit has a way of draggin' ya down," he admitted. "Trust me, I know," he added quietly, his eyes still focused on the road ahead.</p>
<p>"You know, you're not like Merle," I said turning to him. "You're a better man," I gushed with a small smile.</p>
<p>Daryl let out a humorless chuckle. "Don' know bout that," he replied, not looking at me.</p>
<p>"Well I do," I defended staunchly. I reached out to touch his arm before continuing. "You saw me on that highway, alone and being attacked and you stopped to help me. You didn't know me, but you saved me and brought me home with you. And you've looked out for me ever since. In my book, that's all the qualities of a good man," I finished, gently squeezing his arm then releasing it.</p>
<p>He looked completely uncomfortable at the change our conversation had taken so I took pity on him and returned my gaze to the road. I saw him slightly relax his posture from the corner of my eye and it made my heart ache. He was such a kind-hearted person and he didn't even realize it.</p>
<p>We drove in silence for the remainder of the trip until we pulled into the parking lot of <em>The Big Town Sporting Goods</em> store. I don't know why it was called <em>The Big Town</em> anything because there was nothing big about the town or the store. Daryl hadn't been exaggerating when he said the store was smaller but I still hoped we would find some guns inside. I grabbed the crowbar off the truck's floor when we parked and held it in a tight grip.</p>
<p>"Al'ight. I'll take up the rear and cover you while ya search," he offered.</p>
<p>Seeing my distress, he put his hand on my shoulder. "It'll be okay. Won't let no walkers near ya," he promised, staring into my eyes.</p>
<p>There it was again. The honesty that shone clear as day behind his sea foam blue eyes. I took a deep breath and nodded my head. I could do this.</p>
<p>"Good girl," he whispered before giving me a cocky smirk.</p>
<p>My eyes widened in surprise and I bit my lip to keep from smiling. <em>Was he flirting with me?</em> A nice swirl of endorphins went off in my mind at the thought. It was the first time Daryl had even hinted at flirting with me. Although now that I thought about it, he was probably just being normal and I was probably overanalyzing things. I rolled my eyes at my own dramatic tendencies and got out of the truck after him. Daryl walked around the truck and joined me on my side of the vehicle before signaling for me to go ahead of him.</p>
<p>I ran as quickly and quietly as I could until we made it to the front of the store. There was shattered glass on the pavement and I realized that the front door had already been breached. I looked back at Daryl behind me to see what he wanted me to do. He nodded for me to continue so I crouched through the opening and into the store. Daryl was quick to follow behind me and kept a watchful eye on our surroundings.</p>
<p>I continued to grip the crowbar in my hand as I made my way through the store looking for any sign of danger. I didn't see any walkers so I approached the back of the store where the guns were located. Unfortunately, the area looked like it had been heavily picked over.</p>
<p>I searched the cabinets and display cases to no avail; there were no guns left. <em>Damn</em>. I did find two hunting knives that I went to grab when I noticed a floor cabinet. I crouched down to open it and found it full of various types of bullets. Smiling, I jumped up to look around for a bag to put them in. I couldn't find a bag but I spotted a shopping basket. Hopping over the gun counter, I went to pick it up when a walker came out of the shadows and grabbed me.</p>
<p>I stumbled backwards in surprise and fell over a display shelf, causing it to fall over. It made a loud crashing noise as it hit the floor that echoed throughout the entire store. Alerted by the noise, Daryl made his way over to me faster than I thought possible and shot an arrow through the walker's eye.</p>
<p>"Hurry up. Get what ya need. That was too loud, more may be comin'," he ordered as he proceeded to retrieve his arrow.</p>
<p>A heavy dose of fear and adrenaline shot through me at his words and I scrambled up quickly, grabbing the shopping basket in the process. I ran to the gun counter and hopped over it before quickly throwing the knives and boxes of bullets inside. My nerves were already wrecked and I could feel my heart pounding mercilessly in my chest.</p>
<p>I hopped back over the counter and followed Daryl to the entrance where we came to a stop. I took in a shaky breath as I watched seven walkers shuffle into the store and fan out. I felt like I had swallowed a bowling ball as my stomach twisted in fear.</p>
<p>"C'mon," Daryl said, grabbing my arm.</p>
<p>He started leading us toward the back of the store where an "<em>Employees Only</em>" sign was posted on a door.</p>
<p>"No, no, no," I protested, shaking my head anxiously. It was like the Rite Aid fiasco all over again. I couldn't go in there. I just couldn't.</p>
<p>Daryl stopped and turned around to look at me. A look of irritation flickered in his eyes before he came rushing back to me. "C'mon Natasha. We ain't got time for this," he growled and grabbed me harshly, pulling me behind him.</p>
<p>I whimpered and shook in fear as he guided us right to the one place I didn't want to go. He silently opened the door and scanned the room. Sensing it was clear, he went in, tugging me behind him. I noticed the store's warehouse was substantially smaller than the Rite Aid warehouse which I was immensely grateful for. There were fewer chances for corpses to hide from view in the small space. Daryl scanned the warehouse for walkers as we quickly made our way through it and to the back door. I cringed and prepared myself for a crowd of walkers like the loading dock at Ride Aid but there were none. I sighed in relief, almost crying in gratitude.</p>
<p>Daryl turned around to me to say something but stopped when he saw my current level of distress. "We're gonna be okay," he promised, letting his thumb graze my arm where he still held me. "I won't let anything happen to ya," he continued, pinning me down with a stare that held a substantial weight to it.</p>
<p>I stared back into his eyes and I felt myself calm down. I could see the promise written in his artic eyes that were as hard as ice. He wouldn't let anything happen to me.</p>
<p>"Okay," I mumbled, nodding my head in understanding.</p>
<p>"Good, now you've gotta do somethin' for me," he began, giving me an earnest look. "Whatever I tell you to do, do it. Don't hesitate. Don't question it. Do it. It can be the difference between life 'n death. Got it?" he asked, putting his remaining hand on my other arm. He held me with both arms in a stiff embrace as he stared intently at me, scanning my eyes for understanding.</p>
<p>I swallowed and took in another shaky breath. I closed my eyes for a brief moment as I took in a deep breath to steel myself. I opened my eyes feeling more confident and calm. It was my doctor persona coming out. I had saved countless lives in critical condition where my skill and ability to be calm was the difference between life and death. I could do this too.</p>
<p>"Okay," I agreed, nodding my head in acquiescence.</p>
<p>A look of relief passed over Daryl's features before he gave me a small smile. "Good girl," he said, repeating the words from earlier.</p>
<p>"Now listen up," he began again. "We have to run 'round to tha front where the truck is parked. I can go by myself and get tha truck if ya want?" he offered, giving me the option to choose.</p>
<p>It was a nice suggestion but the thought of being alone again was too much to handle. I quickly shook my head "no".</p>
<p>"Al'ight. Stay close and follow me," he ordered, looking at me for acknowledgement. I nodded in agreement before he turned and began to creep along the wall of the building. I was quick to follow behind him, intent on following his order. We crept to the edge of the wall where Daryl held up his hand, signaling us to stop. He poked his head around the corner of the building and observed the scene.</p>
<p>He turned around and looked at me. "There's eight walkers 'n the parkin' lot. Throw the basket 'n the truck's bed then get ya ass in the truck. I'll cover you," he explained.</p>
<p>"I got it," I agreed, breathing rapidly. I squeezed the crowbar tighter in my right hand as I held the basket of bullets in the other.</p>
<p>Daryl put his back against the wall and picked up his crossbow. He took in a deep breath and gave me a brief look before exhaling and turning the corner.</p>
<p>"Now," he shouted at me and I took off running at a fast pace, sprinting toward the truck. There was a walker in front of me but before I could do anything, it had an arrow sticking out of its head. I ran around it and continued until I made it to the truck. Throwing the basket in the back, I turned around to open the door when a walker appeared. Just as quickly as it had appeared, it had an arrow embedded in its head. I kicked the corpse off the door and got in the truck. Daryl was already grabbing his arrows before running around the truck to get in on his side. He put the truck in gear and we took off out of the parking lot.</p>
<p>"What ya get?" Daryl asked as soon as we got on the road.</p>
<p>"No guns. I got two hunting knives and a bunch of bullets. Not sure how many boxes. I just grabbed them all," I answered, still breathing hard. My nerves were rattled far more than I expected. Apparently, the events of Rite Aid were still fresh in my mind.</p>
<p>"Ya did good back there," Daryl complimented, giving me a side glance.</p>
<p>"Well the one thing we know I'm good at is running," I said with a humorless chuckle.</p>
<p>"Runnin' is betta than dying," he replied simply.</p>
<p>I didn't know how to respond to that so I didn't. "Where are we going next?" I asked. I was a little concerned that we still didn't have any guns.</p>
<p>"I got a few more places in mind," he said, driving south.</p>
<p>After the third straight store with no guns, Daryl and I were in a funk. All of the stores had been heavily picked over, leaving only non-essential items on the shelves. We were half way through our three-hour deadline and we still hadn't found a single gun.</p>
<p>I looked over at Daryl in the driver's seat and could see the stress written all over him. He was currently chewing on his lip with a deep scowl set on his face as his eyes scanned the various buildings lining the streets. At this point, we were grasping at straws, trying to find any place out of the ordinary that might have guns. It was clear sporting goods stores were useless for firearms. We would need to think outside of the box.</p>
<p>I tried not to think about the consequences of what would happen if we weren't able to deliver on our deal with Lyle but it was the only thought at the forefront of my mind.</p>
<p>I already knew without a doubt that Daryl would go to retrieve Merle, guns or no guns. It didn't take a genius to figure out how that would pan out. Then where would that leave me? Alone, dead or worse—a plaything for Lyle.</p>
<p>I shivered at the thought. I couldn't let that happen. We had to come up with the guns and ammo; failure was not an option. I looked out the window and happened to notice we were passing by a convenience store.</p>
<p>"Stop," I shouted suddenly.</p>
<p>"Wha' for?" Daryl asked from next to me.</p>
<p>I shrugged my shoulders. "There might be a gun in there," I explained. When he gave me a disbelieving look, I continued. "You know, like in the movies," I reasoned.</p>
<p>"Worth a shot," he agreed and pulled into the parking lot.</p>
<p>There were two walkers roaming in front of the convenience store. Daryl quickly shot them with his crossbow before I got out of the truck with my crowbar.</p>
<p>"Gotta break a window. Gonna make noise," he cautioned. He held his hand out and I gave him my crowbar.</p>
<p>"Stand back," he ordered before he hit the window with the crowbar. The window shattered, broken glass falling onto the floor below.</p>
<p>Daryl gave me my weapon back before signaling me to go inside. Using the same routine as the previous stores, I searched for guns while Daryl covered us.</p>
<p>I jumped over the cashier's counter and looked behind it. There was a 9MM pistol with a box of bullets next to it. Grabbing them both, I made my way back to Daryl sporting a huge smile.</p>
<p>"Find somethin' good?" he teased.</p>
<p>"A gun and a box of bullets," I informed him smugly.</p>
<p>We made our way back outside and into the truck. "One down, nine more to go," I said excitedly. Now that we had our first gun, I was beginning to feel more confident that we could pull this off.</p>
<p>"I got an idea," Daryl murmured and pulled out into the road.</p>
<p>We drove for fifteen minutes before he pulled into another parking lot. The store's sign read <em>Goldies Pawn Shop</em>. It was a great idea. Most people wouldn't have thought to scavenge a pawn shop. They all went for the retail stores like we had been doing.</p>
<p>Daryl drove around the back of the store before parking in the front.</p>
<p>"This was a really good idea," I admitted out loud. "It doesn't look like anyone's been here yet," I added excitedly, observing the front of the store.</p>
<p>"I know," he replied. "Same strategy. In 'n out. You search for guns, I cover ya pretty ass," he said with a wink. My mouth dropped open as he got out of the truck. A giddy smile covered my face as I realized Daryl was <em>definitely</em> flirting with me. It wasn't all in my head. That squinty-eyed hunter thought my ass was pretty. I silently thanked the person who created yoga pants before I quickly collected myself and exited the truck with a deep blush.</p>
<p>Luckily, there were no walkers in the front of the store but there was an expandable metal gate behind the pawn shop's door and windows. That would be a problem.</p>
<p>"How do we get in?" I asked Daryl. I wasn't sure if this was actually going to be something we could pull off.</p>
<p>Daryl sucked his teeth. "Won't be quiet. Gotta break the window again," he said a little pissed.</p>
<p>"What about that metal gate behind it?" I questioned.</p>
<p>Daryl pointed his finger toward the gate. "See that lock on the gate?" he asked. I followed his finger and found the small key hole on the metal gate.</p>
<p>"Yeah," I acknowledged.</p>
<p>"Well I'm thinkin' we shoot tha lock. It should let us open the gate," he theorized.</p>
<p>It sounded like it could work.</p>
<p>"Gonna be real loud. Will draw walkers our way," he admitted. "Thought they might have a back door so I drove 'round back to park. Ain't no back door. This might get ugly," he finished, looking at me. He was giving me an out.</p>
<p>Shit. I didn't want to encounter any walkers up close but we didn't have a choice. This was our best bet, and I wasn't going to leave him to go in there alone. He saved my life twice, and now it was time for me to repay the favor. Damn me and my ethics. I better not die over Merle's ass.</p>
<p>"Alright let's do it," I agreed and ran back to the truck to grab the gun we found in the convenience store. I ran back to Daryl and handed it to him. He opened the clip and checked for bullets before sliding it back into the gun.</p>
<p>He gave me a wink before he shot at the metal lock, shattering the store's window in the process. He grabbed the metal gate and began pulling it to the left so there was a small opening for us to get in. He tucked the gun into the back of his pants, and picked up his crossbow before giving me the signal to go inside. I gripped my crowbar a little harder than necessary and entered the pawn shop with Daryl right behind me.</p>
<p>Once inside, Daryl pulled the metal gate back to the right so the opening was closed again. He quickly scouted the store while I made my way back to the guns counter. I let a huge smile of relief cover my face as I spotted several guns in the display cases. I hopped behind the counter and tried to open the cases but they were locked.</p>
<p>Seeing no alternative, I smashed the glass on the case and quickly started grabbing the guns. There were five pistols and one revolver in the display case.</p>
<p>"I need a bag," I shouted to Daryl as I continued to grab the guns.</p>
<p>On the wall behind me, there were two hunting rifles and three shot guns. I jumped up on the counter behind me and began taking the guns down from the wall.</p>
<p>"Pass them to me," Daryl ordered, holding a large duffle bag. I handed them to him one by one as he placed them inside the bag. They were too long to stick all the way in the bag so they stuck out on one end.</p>
<p>"Don't forget the guns from the display case," I said, pointing to the guns I already took out of the glass cases.</p>
<p>Daryl started packing those while I jumped down from the counter top. I helped him grab the last two guns before he zipped the bag as far as it would allow.</p>
<p>We were interrupted by a loud rattling noise as walkers began to descend upon the metal gate at the entrance. Their arms reached through the diamond shaped holes between the metal gate as they grunted at us.</p>
<p>"Fuck," Daryl snarled before throwing the duffle bag over his shoulder and grabbing his crossbow. He headed for the front of the store and started shooting the corpses in the head while I followed behind him. On my way to the front of the store, I spotted a similar crossbow with a quiver of arrows. Deciding quickly that the crossbow would be too large and awkward for me to navigate through a crowd of walkers, I grabbed the quiver of arrows, throwing it over my shoulder as I rushed to the front of the store to join Daryl.</p>
<p>By the time I made it to him, Daryl had given up on shooting the walkers and instead, stabbed them in the head with his arrow before retrieving the arrow and repeating the process on the next corpse. I followed his lead, taking the crowbar in my hand and sticking it in between the metal openings, stabbing the walkers in the head. I killed four walkers while Daryl killed twice as many. I was starting to get tired when the last walker finally fell.</p>
<p>"C'mon let's go," Daryl ordered, grabbing his crossbow off the ground.</p>
<p>He slid the metal gate to the side and created a small opening for us to get through again. He went through first before offering me his hand. I grabbed his hand as I squeezed through the small opening, stepping over the rotting corpses on the ground.</p>
<p>We rushed back to the truck where he took off the duffle bag and placed it in the bed of the truck while I got in the front seat. Then he quickly ran around the truck and got in on the driver's side.</p>
<p>"We did it!" I shouted, smiling widely. I was feeling high on adrenaline and success.</p>
<p>He returned my smile with one of his own plastered across his face before he put the truck in gear and drove out of the parking lot. Then we took off down the road, headed to get Merle.</p>
<p>Or, at least that's what I thought until we pulled onto the familiar dirt driveway that lead to the front of the cabin.</p>
<p>"What are we doing here?" I asked confused.</p>
<p>"We need to pack," he answered turning off the engine.</p>
<p>"For what? We need to get Merle," I shot back. <em>What was going on?</em></p>
<p>Daryl turned to me in his seat before continuing. "Listen. I know Lyle. Ya can't trust him. If the deal doesn't go as planned, we can't come back here. Even if tha deal goes as planned, we can't come back here. He'll be back, demandin' somethin' from us," he explained. "We have anotha thirty-five minutes before our time's up and it only takes ten minutes to get ta get to the bar. We should pack now, get Merle, then get the hell outta town," he advised looking at me earnestly.</p>
<p>Suddenly, the euphoria I felt on the ride back disappeared and was replaced with gut wrenching fear.</p>
<p>"Where will we go?" I asked, trembling slightly.</p>
<p>"We'll stay somewhere in the woods," Daryl answered. "Ain't as many walkers."</p>
<p>What were my options?</p>
<p>Stay in the cabin by myself? <em>Hell no.</em></p>
<p>Stay with Lyle and his men? <em>I'd rather be a walker.</em></p>
<p>Go out on my own? <em>Wouldn't last.</em></p>
<p>Staying with the Dixon brothers was my only viable option.</p>
<p>"Okay," I agreed, nodding rapidly.</p>
<p>Daryl gave me a knee-weakening smile that had my insides buzzing around with excitement. I wasn't ready to admit that part of my decision was not wanting to part with Daryl. I hadn't had a chance to begin to understand this new dynamic between us or my attraction to him. All I knew was that this squinty-eyed hunter made my heart beat faster for all the right reasons. I smiled back at him, unable to keep it hidden even if I wanted to.</p>
<p>"Al'ight. We'll get the supply bags then get anythin' else we need," he instructed. "I need ta put Merle's bike 'n the truck first. I'll come inside once I'm done," he said getting out of the truck.</p>
<p>I nodded and got out of the truck. I headed inside and immediately started grabbing the food bags from Rite Aid. After Daryl secured Merle's motorcycle in the bed of the truck, we placed the Rite Aid bags inside along the bed walls.</p>
<p>Next, I went to Daryl's room to get my bags. Trying to consolidate space, I stuffed all the toiletries from the Rite Aid beach bag into the backpack that housed my clothes. It barely fit everything, but if we were going to be trekking through the woods, I would rather only have to carry one bag.</p>
<p>Feeling satisfied with my work, I headed to Merle's room to grab his antibiotics off the end table which I added to my backpack. When I was done, I headed to the living room where I found Daryl grabbing the other bags from the sporting goods store. What was in them was a mystery to me.</p>
<p>"What's in those bags?" I asked.</p>
<p>"Camping gear," he replied as he picked up two duffle bags.</p>
<p>I instantly felt like a retard for asking. Of course! We had scavenged a sporting goods store. What else would it be?</p>
<p>I followed Daryl out of the cabin and threw my backpack in the back of the truck.</p>
<p>"I gotta get some clothes," Daryl informed me and headed back into the cabin.</p>
<p>That gave me an idea. I followed Daryl into the house and into his bedroom.</p>
<p>"Need somethin'?" he asked, eyeing me curiously. "I ain't leavin' ya," he promised again.</p>
<p>I shook my head. "No, it's not that," I refuted quickly, somewhat mortified that my abandonment issues were so obvious. "I just came in here to get my Rite Aid beach bag. I was thinking I could pack some clothes for Merle," I explained with a shrug and looked away, suddenly feeling self-conscious.</p>
<p>After a moment of silence, I chanced a look back at him only to see him squinting at me while chewing the left side of his lip in contemplation. He was staring at me like I was a puzzle he couldn't figure out.</p>
<p>"That's really kind of ya," he finally replied and reached down to grab the rainbow and pineapple bag off the floor. "Although, I don' think Merle's gonna thank ya for it. Not when his clothes are 'n this shit," he finished with a chuckle.</p>
<p>I gave him an incredulous look. "Does Merle ever thank anyone?"</p>
<p>Daryl smiled. "Naw, not really," he answered, chuckling again.</p>
<p>"Well then my feelings won't be hurt," I assured him confidently. "Besides, if he hates the bag, he won't get too attached to it. At some point I'm going to want it back. It's rather cute," I commented, holding the bag possessively.</p>
<p>I gave him a parting smile and headed toward Merle's room. I tried going through his dresser drawers first but they were so cluttered and disorganized that I gave up. I grabbed a few shirts and some rumpled jeans and pants off the floor before grabbing some socks. I never thought I'd be thankful Merle went commando, but I found myself grateful I didn't have to touch his underwear. I snatched up a few more items before grabbing a black swede vest for the hell of it. It looked well worn so maybe it was a cherished item. With that, I left Merle's room and joined Daryl in the living room.</p>
<p>"Ya ready?" he asked</p>
<p>I nodded and we walked out together. We loaded the last of the belongings into the bed of the truck before taking out the duffle bag with the guns.</p>
<p>"How many guns did we get?" I asked as Daryl went through the bag.</p>
<p>"Twelve total, including tha one I've got on me" he replied. "We'll keep two, and bring ten wit us," he informed me, while he picked which second gun to keep. He kept a rifle.</p>
<p>He then picked up the shopping basket filled with bullets and two hunting knives. He put the hunting knives in the back of the truck, then took out two boxes of bullets. One box for the rifle and one box for the pistol. He hid the rifle and the bullets under some of our supply bags in the back of the truck and left the shopping basket full of bullets in the front seat.</p>
<p>"C'mon," he said. "It's time ta get Merle."</p>
<p>We both hopped in the front seat and I heard Daryl take a deep breath before starting the engine and taking off down the dirt driveway.</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <strong>xxxxxxxxxxxxx</strong>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>We drove down a different highway until we entered another small town. Daryl parked the truck a ways down from the bar before turning to me.</p>
<p>"I had to park here so they won't see the bike in the back of the truck. Follow my lead and try to keep ya mouth shut," he instructed, emphasizing the last part.</p>
<p>I rolled my eyes.</p>
<p>"Don' roll ya eyes at me. Ya know damn well ya can't keep ya trap shut," he chastised.</p>
<p>I almost rolled my eyes again but stopped myself. I wouldn't give him the satisfaction. I pouted instead. It wasn't very dignified but whatever.</p>
<p>Daryl got out of the truck and picked up the bag of guns in the back of the truck, while I was left to carry the shopping basket full of bullets.</p>
<p>"C'mon lil' miss pouty lips," Daryl teased, waiting for me to join him.</p>
<p>I opened my door and got out. I stuck my shoulders back and proudly walked right past him. He jogged a bit to catch up with me before grabbing my arm to slow me down. He chuckled when I shot him a glare.</p>
<p>"I was jus' playin'. Ain't gotta be so sensitive," he chuckled. He suddenly got serious and his smile disappeared. "When we're in there. Stay close," he said with hardened eyes.</p>
<p>He was transforming before my eyes into the man he needed to be to get this deal done. I was quite impressed with how quickly he could go from a relaxed and casual guy into a calculated hunter.</p>
<p>We walked the rest of the way to the bar in silence, eyes scanning the area for walkers or some of Lyle's men. It was late afternoon, and by the position of the sun, I figured we only had two hours left before sunset. I really hoped we got to wherever we were going by then because I did not want to be out after nightfall.</p>
<p>When we approached the entrance of the bar, Daryl knocked on the door twice. Within moments, one of Lyle's lackeys looked through the makeshift spy-hole to confirm our identities. Once identified, he opened the door and escorted us to the main room where Lyle was waiting for us. He was lounging on a worn leather couch with what looked like a stripper hanging on to him. She shot me a dirty look as if threatened by my mere presence.</p>
<p>
  <em>Don't worry lady. You can keep that psychopath all to yourself.</em>
</p>
<p>I ignored her after that and glanced around the bar which I now realized was actually a strip club based on the poles bolted into the floor of the stage. I spotted Lyle's body guards as well as two new men in the room. Not surprisingly, they bore the same swastika tattoo on their forearms as well. I groaned internally. <em>More racists</em>.</p>
<p>I continued scanning the bar until my eyes finally landed on Merle who was tied up to one of the support beams with a gag tied around his mouth. I'm guessing he came down from his high and was pissed based on the deep scowl and death glare he was sporting. Knowing Merle, he probably had some choice words for dear ol' Lyle. I grinned inwardly at the thought.</p>
<p>"So nice of you to join us," Lyle spoke, throwing his arms around in a grand gesture. He picked up a bottle of whiskey and poured it into an empty glass. "Why don't you come over here and keep me company Natasha while I complete this nasty business with the Dixon brothers," he asked in a smooth, velvety voice.</p>
<p>Icy needles seemed to prick me all over as I heard his request. I did not want to be in the same vicinity as him, let alone have to sit next to him again. Thinking fast, I came up with an excuse.</p>
<p>"You look like you have plenty of company. I'd hate to intrude on such an intimate gathering," I offered with false politeness, gesturing to the stripper at his side. I just prayed that he would leave me alone.</p>
<p>"Go," he ordered viciously to the woman next to him. She jolted and got up from the couch, giving me a contemptuous glare before leaving.</p>
<p>As soon as the woman walked away, Lyle patted the spot next to him. "Problem solved. Now come sit next to me Natasha," he ordered again in a honeyed voice.</p>
<p>"She's fine where she is," Daryl interrupted, grabbing my wrist possessively. "Here's ya guns," he said, throwing the duffle bag onto the floor in front of him.</p>
<p>Following his lead, I placed the shopping basket full of bullets on the floor next to the duffle bag. I kept my mouth closed and didn't comment on what was in the basket. It was obvious enough and I didn't trust myself to talk. A small part of me might have been heeding Daryl's advice…although I would never admit that to him.</p>
<p>Lyle tisked twice. "I don't like my pets when they're disobedient. I have a tendency to lose my temper. And trust me, you don't want to see me angry. Now Natasha," he said, looking directly at me. "Why don't you come over here? I won't ask again," he threatened and gave me a chilling smile that made my insides churn in anxiety.</p>
<p>My mouth suddenly felt dry as my heart pounded furiously in my chest. My hands felt clammy and I could've sworn someone turned up the heat in the bar as I felt a bead of sweat roll down the side of my face. I felt like crying and screaming all at the same time but neither option would help me in this situation. Instead, I tried to push down my fear as I reluctantly nodded my head in acceptance.</p>
<p>I went to move when Daryl stopped me again. I quickly put my hand on his bicep to halt him. It was better if we did what Lyle wanted. I remembered it was all a game of control. If we wanted to survive and get this deal done, we had to let Lyle call the shots. Steeling my nerves, I turned around and made my way over to Lyle…in the slowest possible walk ever.</p>
<p>As soon as I sat down, Lyle wrapped his arm around my shoulder, pulling me in close.</p>
<p>"There. Now that's better," he said, patting my thigh triumphantly.</p>
<p>He gave Daryl a smug smile as he leaned into me.</p>
<p>"Did you miss me?" he whispered into my ear as his tongue flicked my ear lobe.</p>
<p>I inhaled sharply and shivered at the touch. Instinctively, I tried to pull away but Lyle reached out and grabbed me harshly, wrapping his large hand around my jaw. He yanked my face closer to him and I winced at the pain.</p>
<p>"Getcha hands off her," Daryl growled and darted toward me but was stopped by one of Lyle's goons who pulled a gun out on him.</p>
<p>"Ah ah ah baby Dixon," Lyle taunted from next to me. "I wouldn't move again if I were you. Otherwise I'd have to shoot you, then what would poor Natasha do without you?" Lyle asked in a singsong voice.</p>
<p>My heart sank at the thought. I couldn't let Daryl die because of me.</p>
<p>"I'm fine Daryl," I said, forcing the words out despite the pain of Lyle's grip on my jaw.</p>
<p>"That's my girl," Lyle cooed as his thumb rubbed my face in mock tenderness. "Such courage from my little lioness," he purred approvingly. "But how easily it would be for me to tame you and break your spirit," he whispered viciously and gripped my jaw harder.</p>
<p>I whimpered from the pain as tears began to fill my eyes. I could feel the rumbling of Lyle's chest against me as he hummed in appreciation. "I love it when you make that noise," he admitted, closing his eyes like he was savoring the sound like a decadent sweet. When he opened his eyes, his predatory gaze latched onto mine with a hunger that spoke of the untold horrors he had waiting for me if given the opportunity. The monster lurking inside him was quickly rising to the surface as his eyes twinkled with twisted pleasure from inflicting pain on me. His sadistic perversions chilled me to my core and I felt like whimpering again but I held it in. I wouldn't give the bastard the satisfaction.</p>
<p>My eyes glanced to Daryl and he looked livid. His lips were pinched and he was grinding his teeth as he glared at Lyle through his squinty gaze. I saw him clench and unclench his fists at his sides as he tried to reign in his temper. He never looked at me once. Instead, his eyes were focused into slits, watching Lyle's every move like a hunter waiting to strike.</p>
<p>Lyle leaned his head next to mine and let his tongue trail along my neck in a slow, agonizing manner. I closed my eyes, and forced myself not to cry. I had to hold it together. I needed to give Lyle control in order to get the deal done. Everyone had their part to play and this was mine. I had to keep it together. The Dixon brothers were counting on me.</p>
<p>My eyes opened as Merle made a muffled noise that sounded suspiciously like "You som'bitch" but I couldn't be sure. Just as soon as he made the noise, one of Lyle's goons, punched him in the gut. Merle moaned before he mumbled something else and got punched again. As much as I enjoyed Merle's outbursts, I wished he'd shut up. I hated hearing him get punished…even if I broke his nose only several hours earlier.</p>
<p>Trying to get this deal over as soon as possible, I forced myself to speak. "We brought the ten guns and bullets you requested," I said as Lyle finished his assault on my neck.</p>
<p>"Shhh," he whispered as he placed his index finger over my lips. "You're so pretty when you're quiet. Let the men speak while you just sit there looking pretty," he demanded in a sugary sweet tone.</p>
<p>I was just about to say something wildly inappropriate that probably would have resulted in us all being killed when Daryl spoke up.</p>
<p>"Like she said. Got ten guns and plenty of bullets. Deal's a deal," he said, clenching his jaw. He turned his head slightly and glared at the man holding a gun to his head. "You best pray I never see you again," he threatened ominously.</p>
<p>Lyle laughed at Daryl's threat like it was a joke. "Don't mind his empty promises Jackson. A neutered dog doesn't even have the balls to keep his bitch around in the presence of an Alpha male. Isn't that right Daryl?" he taunted wickedly. He began to rub my inner thigh while he stared Daryl down, tempting him to make a move.</p>
<p>I gave Daryl a pleading look, begging him not to play into Lyle's sick and twisted game. Daryl stiffened and gritted his teeth but remained quiet. My relief was short lived as Lyle started to trail his hand unnervingly close to the apex of my thighs. I cringed and had to force myself not to snap my legs close. I had to give Lyle control—even if it meant he was going to molest me in front of everyone. It would be over soon, I promised myself.</p>
<p>Lyle leaned into me, nuzzling his nose along the crook of my neck. "I could fuck you right here, stuffing your mouth full of my cock and no one could do a damn thing to stop me. Would you like that Natasha?" he whispered into my ear, licking the shell of my ear with his tongue.</p>
<p>My heart stopped beating and I swallowed audibly. It felt like all the oxygen had been ripped from my lungs.</p>
<p>"Or would you like me to fuck you raw on this couch and show the Dixon brothers how a real man fucks?" he asked savagely, twisting and pulling at the flesh of my inner thigh as he made his way to my center.</p>
<p>"I'd rather eat a bullet," I blurted loudly. It was the first thing that came to my mind and the words were already flowing out of me before I had a chance to think if it was wise to say it or not.</p>
<p>I could hear Merle laughing his ass off from the other side of the room but I paid him no mind as I was too terrified of how Lyle would react to my outburst. I didn't have to wait long because he quickly grabbed me by my hair and yanked my head back, exposing my neck in the process.</p>
<p>"I like your defiance," he cooed, lifting his hand from my thigh to run it down my neck adoringly. "It will make it all the more fun when I teach you a lesson of respect," he promised sinisterly and bent down to kiss my neck.</p>
<p>I grimaced and tried not to vomit as he assaulted me with his perverse affection. Soon, I felt his tongue peek out and taste me before his teeth bit at the tender flesh of my neck. I whimpered unconsciously and heard him groan in delight as his teeth gnashed and pulled at my skin.</p>
<p>"You really are a twisted fuck," I uttered angrily.</p>
<p>I could practically feel Lyle smile into my neck. He gave me one last peck before he sat up and released me from his grasp. I quickly pulled my head up and checked the spot he had been kissing on with my hand. There was no blood—at least he hadn't broken the skin.</p>
<p>"Just a souvenir to remember me by," Lyle whispered in my ear before laughing merrily. "Now let's get on with business, shall we?" he asked Daryl, as if nothing had happened.</p>
<p>The man was so mercurial that I would never get used to him. He could go from a killer, to a rapist to a businessman in the span of a few minutes and do it all over twenty times before he was done.</p>
<p>Daryl's eyebrow twitched in irritation as he stared at Lyle with eyes so hard and piercing, it was like looking at shards of glass. I worried that his rage would get the better of him and wind up getting him killed, but then his eyes darted over to mine and I saw his glacial orbs melt just a bit. Daryl took a deep breath and closed his eyes for the briefest of moments and when he opened them again, I could tell that he was in control of his temper. I mentally rejoiced; we could still make it out of here together.</p>
<p>"Like I said," Daryl began, his voice as rough as sandpaper. "There are ten guns in the bag and the ammo is in here," he finished, kicking the basket near his feet.</p>
<p>Feeling satisfied with Daryl's obedience, Lyle smiled brightly. "Perfect. Check the bags Wyatt," he ordered to one of his goons.</p>
<p>The large muscular man walked to the duffle bag before counting the guns. He then turned his attention to the shopping basket where he opened each box of bullets to assure they were full before placing the boxes back in the basket.</p>
<p>"All here Boss," Wyatt confirmed.</p>
<p>"Well why don't you get Merle and give him to his little brother. After all, neutered dogs should stick together," he taunted.</p>
<p>Wyatt went over to Merle and untied him from the beam. Merle quickly untied the gag from around his mouth before landing a powerful right hook to Wyatt's jaw.</p>
<p>"Merle!" Daryl shouted. "Calm the fuck down!"</p>
<p>Merle huffed out in frustration as Wyatt swayed, still trying to recover from the blow. Merle got close to Wyatt and bumped him with his shoulder before walking over to Daryl to stand next to him. I could have sworn I saw Merle grab something off Wyatt but it happened so fast I couldn't be sure.</p>
<p>"C'mon Natasha," Daryl ordered, beckoning me with his hand. "We're leaving."</p>
<p>Intense relief washed over me and I went to stand up when Lyle tugged me back down onto the couch.</p>
<p>"Not so fast. I've decided to keep her," he announced, holding me down in place with his arm around my shoulder.</p>
<p>My blood ran cold.</p>
<p>"No," Daryl growled. "Wasn't the deal."</p>
<p>"That was before Merle punched Wyatt. Now there's a new debt owed and I've collected Natasha as payment," Lyle explained as if I wasn't a person but an object to be bought, sold or traded as he saw fit.</p>
<p>"Girlie is comin' wit us," Merle spoke clear as day. There was a threatening tone behind those words that promised a world of pain. He definitely wasn't high anymore.</p>
<p>Before Lyle could respond, Merle whistled then pulled a gun out from the back of his pants and shot the guy holding a gun to Daryl's head. As Merle turned to shoot another one Lyle's men, Daryl pulled his own gun out from behind his back and shot the goon closest to the exit. Bodies were dropping left and right and I couldn't keep up as everything was happening so fast. All I could focus on was the piercing wails coming from me and the stripper hiding in the corner.</p>
<p>I tried to duck and fall to the floor but Lyle grabbed me and pulled me closer to him. I saw Daryl's furious eyes latch onto the action as he drew his gun in our direction. Just as he lined up his gun to Lyle's chest, the lights went out. I heard a gunshot go off and saw a spark of gunfire before I felt Lyle twist violently and groan. The string of gunshots and flashes continued followed by more moans of pain and agony. Suddenly, I felt a pair of strong hands grab a hold of my arms. I started struggling before I heard Daryl's voice say my name and I practically jumped in his arms. Sensing my fear, Daryl didn't let go of me and instead, half carried me while he guided us out of the bar.</p>
<p>Once outside, Daryl turned around when he noticed Merle wasn't with us. We heard several more shots ring out and Daryl was just about to head back into the bar when Merle came hurtling right into us. I noticed he had a large Ziploc bag that he quickly hid behind his back.</p>
<p>"What the hell ya waitin' for? Run!" he shouted at us and we all took off running.</p>
<p>Two of Lyle's men exited the bar and started shooting at us. Daryl pulled me down to a crouched position and rushed me behind a parked car as Merle returned fire.</p>
<p>"Get to the truck!" Daryl ordered as he got up from his crouched position. "Go!" he yelled at me then started shooting back at Lyle's men, covering Merle as he ran toward us. Following his orders, I ran to the truck, staying low to avoid being shot.</p>
<p>As soon as I made it to the truck, I flung myself inside to the middle seat and kept low. I could see Daryl and Merle both weaving and dodging bullets as they fired back at Lyle's goons. Finally, both brothers made it to the truck with Daryl hopping in the driver's seat and Merle into the passenger's seat. Daryl turned on the truck and put it in reverse while Merle fired off the last of his rounds. Daryl swung the truck around and put it into drive as Lyle's goons continued to shoot at us from a distance.</p>
<p>"Keep ya head down," Daryl instructed, grabbing my head and pushing it down onto his lap. He covered me with his body as he kept his head only high enough to be able drive.</p>
<p>I heard several more shots followed by the sound of the truck getting hit. I screamed as Merle cackled when a bullet hit the side mirror, causing it to shatter loudly. I could hear another shattering noise that sounded like one of the tail lights had been hit too. Shortly after, Daryl turned the corner, getting us out of harm's way.</p>
<p>It wasn't until we got onto one of the back country highways that I heard Daryl let out a deep breath. With no sign of Lyle or his goons, we were finally able to relax.</p>
<p>"Anybody hurt?" Daryl asked, his voice rough and gravelly.</p>
<p>"No, I'm okay," I answered, shaking with adrenaline again. I was starting to feel like my body only had two modes: adrenaline and exhaustion.</p>
<p>"Do ya even hafta ask me?" Merle asked in annoyance. "'Course I'm fine. Ain't no bullet gonna stop me."</p>
<p>I rolled my eyes. There was literally a multitude of ways a bullet could stop him.</p>
<p>"Are you okay?" I asked, turning to Daryl. I quickly scanned him over and noticed there was blood trailing down his arm. "You've been hit," I exclaimed, grabbing his arm to inspect the wound.</p>
<p>"Jus' a graze," Daryl revealed. "Don' worry 'bout it."</p>
<p>"I'm a doctor. Of course, I'm going to worry about it. The last thing you need is for an infection to set in when we are out of supplies."</p>
<p>"Stop babying him," Merle interrupted, sucking his teeth in disgust. "He's fine. Ain't ya little brother?"</p>
<p>Daryl gave Merle a sideways glance that was full of hostility. "I'm fine," he agreed and pulled his arm away from me.</p>
<p>I exhaled loudly in irritation. "Yes, let's ignore the only person in this truck with a medical degree. That sounds like a great freaking plan."</p>
<p>"Stop ya bitchin' doc," Merle growled in agitation.</p>
<p>"Best watch ya mouth," Daryl warned in a low tone. He held the steering wheel in a white knuckled grip and it was clear his rage was swimming just below the surface.</p>
<p>Merle bristled. "I see ya takin' her side again baby brother. She finally let ya fuck her?" Merle asked savagely.</p>
<p>My eyes widened in surprise as Daryl growled and slammed on the breaks, causing me and Merle to smash into the dashboard.</p>
<p>"We woulda been dead thanks to you," Daryl roared in unrestrained fury. "The only reason we're alive is 'cuz of her. You oughta be grateful and thank her!" Daryl shouted and hit the steering wheel. "Ya almost got us killed today. And ya almost got Natasha fuckin' raped by that piece of shit," Daryl snarled.</p>
<p>Merle made a grunt of disagreement. "I wasn't gonna let her get raped," he protested heatedly. "Besides, Girlie's got spirit. Did ya see the way she spoke to Lyle? Natasha's fine, ain't ya sweetheart?" Merle asked, turning his attention to me.</p>
<p>I'd been better—but all things considered, I was doing fairly well. "I'm okay," I answered honestly.</p>
<p>"See?" Merle asked victoriously. "Ya worry too much little brother."</p>
<p>Daryl exhaled loudly, still irritated by the whole situation.</p>
<p>"I told ya not to deal with Lyle. He's a psychopath. But ya did it anyway. You're always gettin' me into your shit and I'm tired of it. I ain't savin' ya ass next time," Daryl insisted, giving Merle a pointed stare.</p>
<p>"I ain't asked ya to save me this time," Merle argued back. "Coulda handled it myself."</p>
<p>Daryl huffed out a breath in frustration and shook his head. "If ya think that, you're a dumbass," he replied and pushed down on the gas pedal, making the truck speed off again.</p>
<p>"I ain't no dumbass, you're a dumbass" Merle retorted under his breath.</p>
<p>"Said like a true dumbass," I muttered and was immediately shot with a dirty glare from Merle. "Sorry. Shutting up now," I promised, symbolically zipping my mouth. This was obviously a brotherly spat and I needed to stay out of it.</p>
<p>Daryl grunted. "You ain't got to apologize to that asshole."</p>
<p>"Oh shut up," Merle said dismissively. "I'm hungry. We got anythin' to eat?"</p>
<p>And just like that, the fight was over.</p>
<p>We drove in silence for a while before I noticed Daryl kept looking at me every so often. He did it enough times that I finally turned to face him.</p>
<p>"What?" I asked, curious.</p>
<p>Daryl gave me a long sideways glance checking me over. "Are ya really okay?" he asked softly.</p>
<p>My heart melted a little at his concern for me. "Yeah," I replied, nodding my head. "I'm okay now."</p>
<p>Daryl nodded his head once. "Good."</p>
<p>"Besides," I continued. "How could I not be okay when I have my own personal body guarding sitting next to me?" I asked, turning to look at Merle.</p>
<p>"What the hell you talkin' 'bout" Merle asked confused.</p>
<p>"Girlie is comin' wit us," I repeated in my best Merle impersonation, causing Daryl to laugh. "It's too late to deny it Merle. Deep down inside your prickly heart is a soft spot for me," I teased, pretending to swoon.</p>
<p>"The hell wit the both of ya'll," Merle said, turning his attention to the scenery outside. He appeared angry but Daryl and I knew there was no ill will behind the mask. It was just for show.</p>
<p>I smiled then. I was still alive; nowhere near Lyle and his men, and I had my two best boys with me in the truck. I never thought I would form such close and deep attachments with people I just met. I guess trying to survive an apocalypse together formed strong bonds that otherwise, would never have developed. We were an unlikely group, but we had each other's back when it counted.</p>
<p>"Hey, jus' askin', but who turned off the lights?" Merle wondered out loud after a while.</p>
<p>"The power probably went out. It was only a matter of time before the utilities shut down since no one is there to manage it…and who knows what the corpses are bumping into," I explained. "I'm just happy it went off when it did," I added with a small laugh.</p>
<p>Both brothers hummed in agreement.</p>
<p>"Where the hell we goin'?" Merle asked suddenly. "Home is the other way."</p>
<p>"Ain't goin' home. They ain't all dead. Best to camp 'n the woods. I know a place near a quarry. Hoping we make it before dark so I can scout the area."</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <strong>Whew! This was a long chapter. I hope you all enjoyed it. As always, please leave a comment and let me know what you thought of it. I absolutely love reading your feedback. Thanks!</strong>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Chapter 8</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>Important: I need your help! </strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Originally, I planned to follow canon once we got to the beginning of season one. However, I have fallen in love with writing Merle and I would love to see his character grow and change over time. I also think it could be really awesome to change things up and make the show's events even better/crazier. I want to know if you all would like me to stick to canon and let Merle disappear until the events of season 3 or if you want me to keep Merle and throw some curveballs at you. I could go either way. I'm asking all of you wonderful readers because this story belongs to you as much as it does to me. I never would've gotten this far without your wonderful comments/reviews that kept me going. Let's continue to make an awesome story together that we can all enjoy! Please vote by leaving a comment. If you want Merle to stick around, comment "More Merle". If you want to stick to canon, comment "canon is good". I will tally up the votes on fanfiction.net and a03 and go with whatever option wins. Thanks!</strong>
</p><hr/><p>We drove in silence as the sun made its descent in the sky, inviting darkness to swallow up the Atlanta skyline. As we got closer to the city, more and more corpses became part of the passing scenery. According to Daryl, the quarry was north of Atlanta which meant we needed to go around the city since we were coming up from the south. Trying to avoid as many of the infected as possible, Daryl stuck to the back roads, avoiding the highways as they were most likely grid locked with abandoned cars.</p><p>We arrived at the quarry about an hour before sunset. The quarry was larger than I imagined, with an enormous reservoir at its base. The landscape consisted of rocky cliffs and tall mountainous walls that encapsulated the reservoir below. In all, the quarry was stunning and I found myself appreciating its natural beauty.</p><p>Daryl drove to the top of the mountain before parking in a large clearing filled with dirt and rocks of varying sizes. Tree stumps poked out from the ground sporadically but for the most part, it was clear and perfect for camping.</p><p>"Al'ight," Daryl said as he turned off the engine. "We got a lot to carry n' a lil' bit of time. We need to move fast," he advised and opened the driver's door.</p><p>"Where we campin' anyways?" Merle asked, interrupting Daryl's exit from the vehicle.</p><p>"I know a spot in the woods here," Daryl answered. "It's pretty far inside though so we need to start movin' now. Y'all can unpack while I scout the area," he instructed while getting out of the truck.</p><p>"Wait, why don't we just camp here?" I asked, looking around at the cleared ground space on the top of the mountain.</p><p>"Too open," Daryl replied, shaking his head. "If we had a bigger group and more guns it'd be fine. But wit jus' the three of us, we'd be askin' for trouble."</p><p>I swallowed thickly and made my way out of the truck. "You think someone would rob us?" I asked worriedly.</p><p>Daryl grabbed his crossbow out of the bed of the truck before answering. "When tryin' to survive, people do all sorts of things they ain't never done before," he responded with a shrug.</p><p>Great. So in addition to fighting off walkers, we also had to worry about getting robbed...or worse. My mind wondered to Lyle's face and my heartbeat sped up in terror. I didn't want to encounter any more men like him.</p><p>Noticing my sudden distress, Daryl placed his hand on my shoulder, effectively gaining my attention. He lowered his head so he was eye level with me before speaking. "Don't worry. Ya wit the Dixon brothers. You'll be fine," he added with a wink.</p><p>Immediately, my anxiety started to dissipate. I smiled, unable to contain it any longer. There was something about Daryl that instantly calmed me. He had a way of always making me feel safe in his presence.</p><p>Daryl returned my smile with one of his own and it made my stomach flutter in excitement. "Stay wit Merle and unpack. I'll be back soon," he directed and departed, disappearing into the thickness of trees.</p><p>"Would ya stop starin' at my brother's ass and come on!" Merle shouted from the back of the truck. "We ain't got all day."</p><p>I spun around with wide eyes. "I wasn't staring at his ass," I exclaimed hurriedly, almost stuttering over my own words. "I was just watching him walk away," I defended in a slower, more controlled manner. I put on my best poker face and tried to play it cool.</p><p>Merle opened the truck's tailgate then stopped to look at me. He regarded me with scrutinizing eyes before he gave one short chuckle of disbelief. "Keep tellin' ya'self that," he smirked.</p><p>I exhaled in defeat. Damn, I was so busted.</p><p>Merle gave another short chuckle at my guilty face. "So what happened between you two today?" he asked, suddenly interested.</p><p>Immediately, my brain shouted to DENY DENY DENY. It seemed like sound advice so I took it.</p><p>"I don't know what you mean," I replied, keeping my face neutral. The last thing I needed was for Merle to discover my feelings for his brother—feelings I was still trying to figure out for myself.</p><p>"Somethin' happened," Merle decided, nodding his head in confirmation. "Y'all seem to be makin' a lot of googly eyes at each other," he speculated and started rummaging around the bags in the back as I made my way over to him.</p><p>"You two bumpin' uglies now or what?" he questioned, looking up at me with a grin. "You could tell ya ol' buddy Merle," he insisted, trying to get me to confirm his suspicions.</p><p>"We're not having sex," I answered honestly. Of course that didn't mean I didn't want to…especially if Daryl insisted on wearing those cutoff shirts and speaking all gravelly in his southern accent. I blamed <em>True Blood </em>for that particular turn on.</p><p>A slight smile crept up my face as I remembered Daryl claiming me as his girl. I quickly realized what I was doing and shook my head, clearing the memory from my mind. "Nothing happened," I added quietly. Although I wasn't sure if I was trying to convince him or myself.</p><p>"Uh huh," Merle replied in a disbelieving tone. "Well c'mon. We got shit to do," he ordered and started unpacking the truck.</p><p>He handed me all the bags, one by one, until I made a huge pile on the ground. Then he rolled his motorcycle off the back of the truck. I noticed a Nazi <em>SS</em> insignia on his bike as he walked past me and parked it near the tree line. I rolled my eyes. How the hell did I end up with a racist redneck as a protector? I laughed at the irony of the whole thing. It was like a butcher with a pet pig; it was all so messed up. I briefly wondered if Merle was a racist by choice or upbringing. I shrugged. It didn't really make a difference in the end.</p><p>When Merle was finished parking his bike, he hid it by adding some shrubbery and leaves over the top of it so it blended in with the background. It was clever and nicely executed, and I wouldn't have even known it was there had I not been looking at him hide it.</p><p>When he was finished concealing his bike, Merle made his way over to one of the large boulders and sat on top of it. Deciding to take a moment to relax myself, I made my way over to join him.</p><p>"Scoot over," I demanded as I climbed up the large rock.</p><p>Merle gave me a contemptuous glare before shifting to the right to make space for me. I sat down and bumped his shoulder, eliciting a small smile from him. We sat in silence for a while as we both looked out over the quarry and the Atlanta skyline in the distance. I was deep in my own thoughts when Merle finally spoke to me, ending our moment of solitude.</p><p>"Thank you," he grumbled from next to me.</p><p>My eyebrows rose in surprise before I turned to look at him. I almost laughed at his facial expression. He looked like he had swallowed a rock—like it physically pained him to say the words out loud.</p><p>I gave him a cheeky smile. "I thought you never thanked people," I said playfully.</p><p>Merle snorted. "I usually don't so don' get used to it," he sneered, but I noticed the words lacked his usual venom. He sighed loudly and continued. "Look…ya saved my ass and ya helped Daryl out there," he said, jutting his chin in the direction of the city. "I know it wasn't easy for ya…especially after what I did earlier," he admitted, rubbing his hand along his chin stubble. "I guess what I'm tryna say is that you're al'ight in my book," he finished and gave me nod.</p><p>In his own way, this was Merle's apology and thank you. I smiled at him, grateful that he understood the magnitude of today's events.</p><p>"I told you that prickly heart of yours had a soft spot for me," I teased, leaning my head on his shoulder.</p><p>Merle quickly jerked me off him like I was a pestering insect. "I didn't say all that," he argued, grunting in displeasure. "Don' go puttin' words in my mouth."</p><p>I laughed at his abrasive antics. "Well, I hate to break it to you Merle, but I think this means we're friends now," I claimed, goading him so more.</p><p>Merle made a disgusted face and spat on the ground below us. "Is fuckin' not on the table 'cuz I'd prefer that."</p><p>I rolled my eyes and slapped him on the arm. "Way to be gross Merle."</p><p>He laughed and shrugged. "Worth a shot."</p><p>"And, you're welcome by the way," I said, turning to face him. He nodded once and I was going to let the conversation go but I just couldn't. I had to tease him some more. "You know, I feel so privileged to be among the very few people you've actually<em> thanked</em>," I continued, rubbing it in his face with a smug smile.</p><p>Merle sucked his teeth in irritation. "Shut up before I push ya off this rock," he threatened and raised his eyebrow as if daring me to disobey him.</p><p>"Would you really do that to a friend, Merle?" I asked, clasping my hand to my chest in fake outrage. I quickly dropped my hand and let a smarmy grin cover my face.</p><p>"I warned you," Merle claimed right before he made his move. He quickly dove toward me and grabbed me faster than I thought possible, holding me over the edge of the rock.</p><p>"Okay, okay," I screamed, laughing as I looked at the ground beneath me. The fall wouldn't be bad so it was all in good fun.</p><p>"You gonna shut up now?" Merle asked with a smile, threatening to release me so I would fall.</p><p>"Yes," I promised between fits of laughter.</p><p>Merle gave me one last look of false disdain before he righted me back to my original position. I giggled a few more times before my laughter died down and we were back to a comfortable silence.</p><p>"Wow, that's actually breath taking," I said, suddenly aware of the view in front of us.</p><p>A beautiful sunset played out in the sky before us, a marvelous mixture of colors blending together to create a breath taking scene. Merle took out a cigarette and smoked as we continued to watch the sunset, waiting for Daryl.</p><p>"This is the most romantic shit I've ever done wit a woman," Merle admitted with a slight chuckle. "Watchin' the sunset like som' pussy," he explained, shaking his head in disbelief.</p><p>I smiled. "I'm enjoying your company too, Merle," I jested in a teasing manner.</p><p>"Fuck off," he grunted with a grin.</p><p>I laughed and bumped his shoulder again for good measure. Merle grunted again but didn't say anything more. Instead, he took another drag from his cigarette and blew it out, allowing the smoke to surround us like a cloud before floating off into the distance.</p><p>"Y'all ready?" Daryl asked from behind us. I turned around to look at him and noticed he had a slight scowl on his face.</p><p>"We best hurry. Still gotta make camp," he ordered in a tense tone and walked away toward the pile of bags.</p><p>"Yeah, nothin' happened today," Merle commented, shaking his head. I gave him a confused look but he didn't elaborate. Instead, he flicked his cigarette butt onto the ground and hopped down from the rock.</p><p>"Ya comin' or what?" he asked, turning around to look at me.</p><p>I nodded and slid down the boulder after him. Merle gave me a funny look as he regarded me before he shook his head again. "My brother and a city girl," he commented before laughing to himself.</p><p>I didn't know what he meant by that so I decided to ignore the comment and went to join Daryl by our bags.</p><p>Daryl quickly ordered us to collect our belongings so we all grabbed as many bags as we could while still carrying our weapons. Luckily, we were able to carry everything between the three of us which meant we only needed to make one trip to the campsite.</p><p>Daryl led the way through the dense woods until we came upon a small clearing within. It was nowhere as large as the clearing at the top of the mountain but it was more discrete and well hidden from potential enemies.</p><p>As soon as we arrived at the clearing, Daryl went back to the mountaintop to hide the truck and our tracks while Merle and I made camp for the night.</p><p>I saw Merle grab a tattered bag out of the corner of my eye and I walked over to him to see what it was. I noticed it looked heavily used so I figured it couldn't have been one of the bags we got from scavenging; it had to be one of the few extra bags Daryl had packed from the cabin.</p><p>"What's in the bag?" I asked.</p><p>"A tent," Merle replied. "Get yours out too. I'll help ya put it together."</p><p>"I don't have a tent," I replied confused. "Why would I have a tent?" I questioned.</p><p>Merle stopped unloading his tent to look at me. "You didn't grab one at tha store when we was stealin' stuff?" he asked in disbelief.</p><p>I shook my head "no".</p><p>"I told ya to get what ya might need later," he responded in a clipped tone.</p><p>"Yeah," I agreed with an attitude of my own. "I got clothes," I defended, crossing my arms over my chest.</p><p>Merle looked at me wide eyes before a big, deep, belly laugh erupted from within him. I narrowed my eyes and shot him an icy glare.</p><p>"Fuckin' city girls," Merle choked out, grabbing his side in laughter.</p><p>I stood there with a scowl on my face until his laughter finally subsided. He chuckled a few more times and wiped the tears that spilled over from his enjoyment.</p><p>"Since you ain't got no tent, why don't ya get Daryl's out and I'll help ya put it together when I'm done wit' mine," he said with mirth still twinkling in his eyes. "It's the dark green bag over there," he directed, pointing to one of the bags Daryl carried.</p><p>I went over and grabbed the bag before heading over to Merle. I watched as he assembled his tent with ease like he'd done it a million times before. His tent was navy blue and gray in color and appeared rather small. Surprisingly, the tent didn't look as tattered as the duffle bag it was stored in.</p><p>"Alright, let's do that one now," Merle announced, looking at the dark green bag in my hand.</p><p>He led me to the other side of the small clearing before he began to assemble Daryl's tent. It was dark green and brown and easily camouflaged into the woodsy environment. Daryl's tent was the same size as Merle's with a capacity of only two adults. I groaned loudly. It would be tight sleeping quarters and I doubted there would be much room inside after we put our belongings in.</p><p>I tried to hide the look of disdain as I came to the conclusion that camping was going to suck—big time.</p><p>"Don' look so forlorn Princess. It's ya own fault," Merle chided once he finished assembling the tent.</p><p>"Put the food bags over there," he instructed, pointing to a spot between both of the tents. "I'll get a fire started," he announced and went off to look for wood.</p><p>I organized the food bags into a pile when I suddenly remembered Merle's prescription. I went over to my backpack, reached inside and grabbed the pill bottle.</p><p>"I picked up your doxycycline before we left," I said, loud enough for Merle to hear. He was out of the clearing, searching the nearby area for firewood. I walked over to Merle's tent and unzipped the opening to throw in his antibiotics when I noticed a large Ziploc bag. It was the same bag I saw when Merle came out of the bar after the shoot-out with Lyle and his men.</p><p>The bag contained several prescription bottles and a large portion of what looked like small shards of blue glass. I went to grab the bag for closer inspection when Merle suddenly yanked me back and grabbed the antibiotic bottle out of my hand. He quickly threw it in his tent before zipping it back up. He had a slightly wild look on his face before he rubbed his hand through his hair and took in a deep breath.</p><p>"Best not mention that to Daryl," he suggested in light tone, putting on a friendly façade.</p><p>"Tell me you didn't steal that from Lyle" I whisper-yelled, too scared that Daryl might overhear from wherever he was in the woods. I couldn't believe Merle. We almost died trying to save him from that lunatic.</p><p>"That prescription stuff was ours to begin wit. Lyle stole it from us!" Merle defended. "And that crystal in there is Heinsenberg's recipe. Top quality. Wasn't leavin' somethin' like that behind," Merle added in a hushed tone.</p><p>"You're a shitty brother," I said, shaking my head in disgust. Daryl deserved so much better.</p><p>"Just so you know, we almost didn't find the guns," I revealed, staring him down with a murderous gaze. "And if we hadn't found them, I'm pretty sure Daryl would've gone to help you anyways. He would've died because of you, Merle," I hissed venomously. "His blood would've been on your hands."</p><p>Merle looked away from me and rubbed the back of his neck as he exhaled loudly. At least he had the decency to look ashamed.</p><p>I let out a growl and stood up. "You're brother walked through hell to save you. And this is how you repay him?" I asked, breathlessly. I almost felt like crying out of frustration. "You know what? I can't deal with this right now."</p><p>I didn't have it in me to have another confrontation today. After Rite Aid, Lyle, scavenging and the shoot-out, the day had been more than draining. Merle's drug habit would have to be a problem for another day.</p><p>Before Merle had a chance to respond, Daryl entered into the clearing. My heartbeat sped up as I wondered if Daryl had overheard us. I looked to Merle in panic but he just put a finger over his lips as a reminder to keep my mouth shut. I gave him a hard glare but eventually nodded my head. I didn't want to get in the middle of Merle's drug business anymore.</p><p>"Don't forget you need to take a dose of that doxycycline before you go to bed tonight," I instructed with an attitude before walking away from him.</p><p>Daryl gave me a concerned look as I passed him but I ignored him and went back over to the food bags. I searched through the various bags looking for potential contenders for dinner while I tried not to think about Merle and his poor decisions.</p><p>Of course, that didn't work at all. In fact, all I thought about was Merle and his poor decisions. What the hell was he thinking, stealing from Lyle? Maybe Lyle was dead and we were safe. Why was his crystal meth blue? Who the hell was Heinsenberg? But, the biggest question I kept thinking about was how Daryl was going to react when he discovered the truth.</p><p>"Somethin' wrong?" Daryl asked, crouching next to me.</p><p>I jolted harshly and screamed in surprise. "Sorry," I said with a grimace. "You startled me."</p><p>"You okay?" Daryl asked, looking at me.</p><p>I quickly averted my eyes. I didn't want him to see the guilt eating away at me.</p><p>"I'm fine," I lied as I continued to look through the bags. Unable to help it, I glanced at him briefly out of the corner of my eye. He was staring at me with a suspicious gaze like he knew something was bothering me. I inwardly groaned. Of course Daryl was too good at reading me.</p><p>"Can we just let it go?" I asked, sighing heavily. I didn't want to see the hurt in Daryl's eyes when I told him what Merle did. Not tonight.</p><p>Daryl gave me one last lingering look before he spoke again. "Find anythin' for dinner?" he asked, changing the subject.</p><p>I almost sighed in gratitude. I was beyond thankful he didn't push me to divulge Merle's secret.</p><p>"Do you like chili?" I asked smiling, holding up two big cans of chili.</p><p>"Sounds good," he smiled back. "Merle? Ya got that fire started yet?" he shouted in Merle's direction.</p><p>"Yeah. Jus' got it goin'," Merle replied.</p><p>Daryl got up and walked over to a bag before he started digging around for something. Eventually, he found a pot and pulled it out.</p><p>"Give me them cans," Daryl ordered with an outstretched hand. I passed him the canned chili and followed him to the makeshift fire pit Merle created.</p><p>Daryl put the items down before going to grab his clothes bag and my backpack.</p><p>"Here, sit on this for now," he instructed, passing me my backpack.</p><p>I sat down on it while he sat on his bag. It wasn't very comfortable, but it was better than sitting on the ground.</p><p>"What the fuck is this?" Merle asked suddenly. He was holding up the rainbow and pineapple covered beach bag from Rite Aid that I had packed his clothes in.</p><p>Daryl started laughing uncontrollably which caused Merle to look at me expectantly.</p><p>"You're welcome," I said with a derisive smile. "And don't get used to it. I want it back."</p><p>Merle grumbled something under his breath and sat on the bag with an attitude. Eventually, Daryl's laughter died down and we cooked the cans of chili in a pot over the fire. When it was ready, Daryl handed out the servings and we began to eat.</p><p>"It's not bad," I admitted, mildly surprised by that fact.</p><p>Merle ate a spoonful of chili before making a horrid face. Then he began searching his bowl thoroughly for something. "Ain't no meat in it," Merle accused.</p><p>"What kind of chili ain't got no meat in it?" Daryl asked appalled.</p><p>"Vegetarian chili," I answered, picking up the can to show them.</p><p>"Aw hell brother," Merle said, shaking his head. "We ain't never gonna survive wit her around. Next thing ya know, she'll be makin' us eat leaves n' shit," he added in a disgusted tone.</p><p>Daryl made a slightly repulsed face at the idea of not eating meat. "We'll go huntin' tomorrow. Maybe get some squirrels, stew 'em up," he mused out loud.</p><p>"Damn straight," Merle agreed.</p><p>I almost choked on the spoonful of chili in my mouth. "Did you say squirrel?" I questioned in horror.</p><p>"Yeah," Daryl nodded unaware of my disgust.</p><p>I couldn't have heard that right. "Are you telling me you eat squirrel?" I asked, trying to clarify.</p><p>
  <em>Please say no. Please say no.</em>
</p><p>"Yeah," Daryl shrugged. "Tastes good too," he added as he ate another mouthful of chili.</p><p>I suddenly didn't feel hungry anymore. I grimaced and put the bowl of chili down. Noticing my discomfort, Merle started laughing.</p><p>"City girls," Merle mumbled, shaking his head.</p><p>Suddenly, a huge smile spread across his face and his eyes twinkled mischievously. Crap. It looked like Merle's humorous side was ready to come out and play. That wasn't good news for me.</p><p>"Hey lil' brother," Merle called, getting Daryl's attention. "Wanna know what ya stray stole from the store?" he asked loudly.</p><p>I cringed inwardly waiting for him to say it.</p><p>"Fuckin' clothes!" he announced, laughing his ass off.</p><p>Seeing the puzzled look on Daryl's face, Merle continued. "That's right brother. She ain't got nothin' but clothes in that bag!" Merle revealed with a shit-eating grin.</p><p>Daryl turned to look at me. Oh no, he was squinting. Dammit, he was judging me again. My face reddened under his scrutiny.</p><p>"No one toldme to get a tent," I pointed out, looking at the both of them. "How was I supposed to know I needed one? Besides, I thought we were going to be staying in the cabin," I added in my defense.</p><p>Daryl looked contemplative for a moment before taking a deep breath. He appeared unhappy and I worried what he was going to say. "Fine," he muttered with a frown. "Me and Merle can share a tent," he reasoned.</p><p>Wait, what? My gut twisted in fear. Did they really expect me to sleep alone in the woods in the middle of an apocalypse?</p><p>"Oh no brother," Merle said, shaking his head. "I ain't sharin' no tent wit ya. I need my own space."</p><p>When Daryl gave him a frustrated look, Merle continued. "What? I ain't tell ya to pick her up off the side of the road. She's your stray, not mine. You two share," he declared, fixing us with a hardened stare.</p><p>Daryl looked uneasy, as if he wasn't sure how to proceed. It was clear he was worried about how I would feel sleeping in close quarters with him after my unfortunate interaction with Lyle. I realized Daryl was trying to be a gentleman by giving me some space. Of course, that was the last thing I wanted so I decided to speak up.</p><p>"I don't mind," I interrupted, gaining Daryl's attention. "Honestly. I've never slept outdoors and I'm still freaked out about the walkers," I admitted, fidgeting with my hands. I took a deep breath to calm my nerves before I continued. "The truth is…I don't want to sleep in the tent by myself," I confessed, looking at Daryl.</p><p>"See brother. Everythin's fine. Y'all can shack up and I get my tent to myself," Merle explained with a smile.</p><p>Daryl narrowed his eyes into his signature look of contemplation while he remained quiet. He still seemed uneasy with the situation but he eventually nodded his head in agreement.</p><p>I let out a huge breath as my body released tension. Crisis averted. I looked over the fire at Merle to see him winking suggestively and giving me kissy lips. I quickly turned my gaze to Daryl in fear but thankfully, he was still looking into the fire. I could tell he was deep in thought as evidenced by the frown lines across his forehead, and I found myself grateful that he was too distracted to see Merle. I returned my gaze back to his older brother and gave him a hard glare before I discretely flipped him off. He just continued grinning but eventually stopped tormenting me.</p><p>After a while, Merle changed his sitting position and pulled out a gun that was tucked in the back of his pants. As far as I knew, Merle didn't have any guns when Lyle and his men took him.</p><p>"Where did you get that?" I asked, pointing at the gun.</p><p>Merle chuckled, turning the pistol over in his hand. "I boosted it off Wyatt when I bumped him," he revealed, smiling at me. "Stupid bastard was too dumb to notice," he shrugged.</p><p>I<em> knew</em> he took something from Wyatt! I smiled, proud of my own keen eyes.</p><p>"You know, I still can't believe I survived a gun fight," I said incredulously. I felt like I was living inside a movie—like everything was so surreal it couldn't possibly be true.</p><p>"Ya did good for your first shoot-out," Merle praised. "Ya didn't shit your pants," he added, laughing to himself.</p><p>"I'm thankful for that," I replied, laughing along with him. "You're actually a pretty good shot. How'd you get to be so good?" I asked, curious to hear the answer.</p><p>"Merle was a marine," Daryl interrupted, answering the question for him. "He was the best shot in his whole damn rifle platoon," he boasted, looking at his brother with pride.</p><p>I turned my head and regarded Merle with wide eyes. That was unexpected. I wouldn't have pegged Merle as the soldier type. Maybe it was true though. He certainly kept a typical "former military" haircut.</p><p>"Wow, that's really impressive Merle," I remarked, congratulating him.</p><p>I watched as a sly grin took over his face, giving him a cocky appearance.</p><p>"Didn't know ya buddy Merle was so talented?" he questioned teasingly. "I got other talents ya might be interested in too," he added, flicking his tongue in a sexual manner.</p><p>Leave it to Merle to give me the most disturbing visualization of oral sex ever.</p><p>"Seriously, Merle?" I questioned, rolling my eyes. "Not interested," I deadpanned.</p><p>He shrugged before responding. "Your loss."</p><p>"Jus' ignore him," Daryl advised, poking the fire with a stick.</p><p>I nodded. "So why'd you leave the military?" I asked, wondering why Merle chose to live in squalor versus living in military housing. I seriously doubted Merle even had a steady job before the outbreak.</p><p>Merle shrugged. "Got dishonorably discharged."</p><p>Now that sounded more like Merle. "Why?" I asked before I could stop myself.</p><p>Merle looked uncomfortable for a fraction of a second before a loud laugh erupted from within him.</p><p>"Got in a fight with som' non-com bastard," he said with a Cheshire grin.</p><p>"Non-com?" I asked, still puzzled.</p><p>"Means non-commissioned officer," Daryl clarified.</p><p>"I told him to bring it on and hit me if he was man enough, or take it up the chain of command if he was a pussy," Merle explained with a slight chuckle. "Then that idiot took a swing," Merle continued, shaking his head in disbelief. "So I punched out his front teeth," he admitted, laughing hysterically. "All five of 'em" he added, holding up his hand.</p><p>"Pow! Pow!" he motioned with his fists for added emphasis. "Just like that!"</p><p>My eyes widened in shock. Merle must have always been unhinged, a little too wild for normal society. He punched out an officer's teeth without thinking of the consequences. That couldn't have gone over well. "What happened to you?" I questioned Merle.</p><p>"16 months in the stockade," Daryl answered in a morose tone.</p><p>"Yep, that's what them teeth cost me," Merle confirmed as his laughter settled down.</p><p>His eyes took on a faraway look like he was reliving a memory. "That was—," he began. "That was som' hard time," he finished quietly.</p><p>Suddenly, his face transformed from retrospective to unrestrained mirth. "But by God, it was worth every minute of it!" he declared and resumed laughing again.</p><p>I looked to Daryl to see his reaction but his face was hardened and his emotions were hidden behind his squinty glare. I got the feeling he didn't share his brother's amusement with the memory.</p><p>Eventually Merle's laughter died off and darkness took over the sky. We cleaned up our dinner and continued sitting around the fire, mostly in silence as all of us seemed to be consumed by our own thoughts. It was a comfortable silence and it was nice to be able to finally relax after such a rough day.</p><p>As the fire began to die down, my eyelids became heavy with the need for sleep. Merle must have felt the same way because he spoke first.</p><p>"Well shit. I'm gonna knock out," he said getting up. "Jus' know if I start hearin' moans and grunts in the middle of the night, I'm comin' to watch the show," he commented, smiling suggestively and waggling his eyebrows.</p><p>"Shut the hell up Merle," Daryl shouted, throwing a can of beans at him.</p><p>Merle easily dodged the item and smiled in defiance. "Night you two. Don' do anythin' without me," he added with a wink and walked over to his tent, disappearing inside.</p><p>It was quiet for a while as Daryl and I both sat there unsure how to proceed. Merle had effectively created an awkward atmosphere and neither of us knew how to dispel it.</p><p>"Ready ta sleep?" Daryl finally asked as he got up. He turned to look down at me and I was thankful for the darkness of night as I'm sure my face was beet red.</p><p>"Yeah," I answered quietly.</p><p>Daryl stood there watching me for a while before I realized he was waiting for me to go inside the tent.</p><p>"Oh right," I mumbled quickly, getting up and heading toward the tent. I could've face palmed myself.</p><p>
  <em>Way to be awkward Natasha. </em>
</p><p>I unzipped the tent and went in. Daryl put the last of the fire out before following me inside the tent. Once the both of us were inside, it became obvious how little space we had. Things were tight to say the least.</p><p>Daryl cleared his throat before speaking. "Ya want the left or right side?" he asked. His face looked unsure and his posture looked rigid and uncomfortable. I was glad I wasn't the only awkward one.</p><p>"It doesn't matter. You can choose," I offered.</p><p>He nodded before taking the left side. I went over to the right side and sat down when I realized I had no sleeping bag.</p><p>As if reading my mind, Daryl tossed me his dark green sleeping bag. It was crocodile green like his comforter. I was starting to think that it might be his favorite color.</p><p>"Thanks but I feel bad taking your only blanket," I admitted, handing him the rolled up sleeping bag back.</p><p>Daryl shook his head. "I'll be fine," he replied, refusing the blanket.</p><p>"Why don' y'all jus' share the damn blanket already?" Merle shouted from across the small clearing.</p><p>Damn, he could hear us from inside his tent. This night just kept getting worse.</p><p>"Shut up Merle!" Daryl shouted back at Merle. "I'm fine," Daryl said, turning his attention back to me. "It's too hot tonight anyway," he added.</p><p>He gave me a hard stare which told me he was done arguing about it. I nodded and took the sleeping bag, laying it on the tent's floor before snuggling inside. Once again, the smell of whiskey, grease and oil clung to my nose and I found it oddly comforting.</p><p>"Good night," I told Daryl with a small smile.</p><p>He nodded back at me as he took a duffle bag and tucked it behind him to lean on in a half sitting, half lying down position.</p><p>"Good night love birds," I heard Merle say in a sing-song voice.</p><p>I didn't respond and neither did Daryl. I thought about breaking Merle's nose again as I drifted off to sleep.</p><hr/><p>
  <strong>Don't forget to leave a comment and vote for Merle or canon!</strong>
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<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Chapter 9</h2></a>
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  <strong>I will be leaving the voting open until the next chapter. Be sure to leave a comment and vote for me to keep Merle in the story or stick to canon. Also, this is a long chapter so I have broken it up into smaller parts. Enjoy!</strong>
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<p>I slowly sat up and wiped the sleep from my weary eyes. Sleeping on the ground should be outlawed as a form of barbaric torture. I felt like I had been run over by a semi-truck then beaten by an MMA fighter. My neck had a massive kink in it and my back felt tight and rigid with stiffness. I thought about the cabin and found myself longing for Daryl's bed. I laughed out loud at the thought. If I was already missing Daryl's poor excuse for a mattress, I could only assume camping was going to be a hellish nightmare for me.</p>
<p>I turned over on my side and opened my eyes to see Daryl sleeping next to me. He must have ditched his bag during the night and opted to lie down on the bottom of the tent. It was strange seeing him asleep. He looked peaceful and calm like a child unaware of the dangers of this world. His face was so relaxed and unguarded that I found myself staring at him, cataloguing the details for analysis.</p>
<p>He had a smaller, lighter mole just left of his nose that I never noticed before. It rested just above the darker mole near his lips and I found it cute in an innocent kind of way. I pulled my gaze up and regarded his eyes next. Unlike most people, Daryl didn't get bags under both eyes. Only his right eye had a small swell under it, revealing his fatigue. I knew he hadn't been getting decent sleep since he was our lookout at the cabin, but it was only now that I realized how much rest he needed.</p>
<p>Continuing my assessment of his eyes, I saw for the first time how long his eyelashes really were. I never had the chance to notice them before because they were so light in color. But now that he was asleep, I could look at him more closely. I leaned in closer to get a better look at them when one of Daryl's eyes popped open without warning.</p>
<p>I jumped back, afraid of the situation I found myself in. My sudden movement jolted Daryl into action and in the blink of an eye, he was sitting up alert and scanning the tent for any signs of danger.</p>
<p>"What's wrong?" he asked worriedly, looking down at me still lying on the tent floor.</p>
<p>Well that was a loaded question. How could I tell him I was practically eye-raping him while he slept? Note to self: never do something this fucking weird, ever again.</p>
<p>"Uhhh…" I mumbled as I sat up. I began to fidget with my hands as my brain scrambled for an answer. I needed a plausible excuse as to why I had been checking him out like some sleeper creeper but nothing came to mind. Damn. Just wing it. "I thought I saw a spider," I finally rushed out.</p>
<p><em>What? That was the best I could come up with?</em> I could've slapped myself.</p>
<p>Daryl regarded me for a moment before he narrowed his eyes at me in a distrustful glare.</p>
<p>"You're lyin'" he warned.</p>
<p>Oh shit.</p>
<p>"I was looking at you while you slept," I blurted out and clasped a hand over my mouth. My eyes went wide as I realized what I just said. What. The. Fuck. Any answer would have been better than the truth.</p>
<p>Daryl looked startled for a moment from my admission before he gave me a smoldering smirk that made my stomach flip in excitement. I took a deep breath as inconspicuously as I could while I looked the other way as my cheeks went aflame.</p>
<p>"Could we just skip to the part where we act like this never happened?" I asked sheepishly.</p>
<p>Daryl gave me a full smile before a slight chuckle passed his lips. "What would be the fun in that?"</p>
<p>
  <em>Ugh, just kill me now. </em>
</p>
<p>I covered my face with my hands as I came to terms with my new fate of never ending jokes at my expense. I couldn't bear to think of what Merle would say once he ultimately found out.</p>
<p>"Ya hungry?" Daryl asked, suddenly interrupting my thoughts.</p>
<p>"Yes," I replied quickly. I shook my head at my own awkwardness and cleared my throat. "I mean…yes, I could eat now," I corrected in a more measured manner. He was giving me a free pass and I was beyond thankful.</p>
<p>Daryl chuckled and shook his head. "C'mon, let's go eat," he suggested and stood up. He motioned for me to exit first so I went ahead of him. As I was exiting the tent, I looked behind me to see Daryl checking out my ass. My self-esteem surged as I bit my inner cheek to suppress a smile. It was nice to know the attraction was mutual.</p>
<p>"Nice of you two love birds to join me," Merle taunted as we exited the tent and walked over to him. He was seated near the fire pit smoking a cigarette as he watched the flames. He had a good size fire blazing in the early morning light that promised warmth and comfort.</p>
<p>"You're up early," Daryl commented, ignoring Merle's jibe at us. He sat down opposite of Merle and I sat between them.</p>
<p>"Yeah," Merle nodded. "Couldn't sleep. Got up early n' scouted the area. No dead bastards 'round here," he noted as he took another drag of his cigarette.</p>
<p>I placed my hands near the fire in an attempt to ward off the early morning's chill. It was a comfortable silence for a long time as I enjoyed the fire's warmth on my skin. Of course, that was until the smoke from the fire changed directions and started blowing straight into my face. I coughed harshly and waved my hand in front of me in an attempt to re-direct the smoke elsewhere. It didn't work and I got frustrated enough that I moved and sat closer to Merle. Daryl remained seated where he was and didn't look the least bit annoyed by the smoke blowing in his face.</p>
<p>"Is anyone hungry?" I questioned as I waved my hand in front of me again. The damn smoke from the fire changed directions and was now assaulting me in my new position. "I could find something for breakfast," I offered as I stood up angrily. I was already over camping; the wilderness was overrated.</p>
<p>"Somethin' wrong Princess?" Merle asked with slight upturned lips. His eyes were twinkling in amusement as he regarded me and my obvious annoyance with the thick smoke.</p>
<p>"I'm fine," I said tersely as I continued walking toward the food bags. I heard Merle chuckle behind me and mutter "city girls" in a derogatory tone.</p>
<p>"Hillbilly boys," I grumbled under my breath.</p>
<p>"Ooo kitty's got claws," Merle teased.</p>
<p>Ignoring him, I dug through the contents of the various bags and eventually decided on flavored oatmeal. It wasn't my normal breakfast but it would have to do.</p>
<p>Daryl regarded the box with apathy. I couldn't blame him. Oatmeal wasn't known to excite one's taste buds.</p>
<p>"It'll do," he replied, looking at the box in my hand. "What flavor is it?" he asked as he picked up the pot next to the fire pit. I noticed it was the same pot we had used for dinner, but thankfully, it looked like it had been rinsed out with water.</p>
<p>"Ummm…brown sugar and maple," I answered, looking down at the box.</p>
<p>"Bet my brother can't wait to eat som' <em>brown sugar</em>. Ain't that right brother?" Merle teased as he waggled his eyebrows suggestively. He had on his signature shit-eating grin that promised all sorts of mischief and tomfoolery. Merle could be relentless when he wanted to be. I didn't know who he was trying to embarrass more, me or Daryl.</p>
<p>"Could you not make a sexual innuendo, for like…I don't know…two minutes?" I snapped at him.</p>
<p>Merle chuckled and threw his cigarette on the ground before smashing it with his boot. "Personally, I prefer <em>peaches n' cream</em>," he purred seductively, making the words sound raunchy and sexual. He licked his bottom lip before a wicked smirk appeared on his face. "Although I can learn to like the taste of <em>brown sugar</em> too," he added playfully.</p>
<p>I scrunched up my face in disgust.</p>
<p>"Asshole," Daryl muttered and grabbed the packets of instant oatmeal from me.</p>
<p>"So I guess you really <em>are</em> incapable of not being a sexual deviant for even two minutes," I confirmed.</p>
<p>Merle gave me a saucy smile. "I aim to please sweetheart," he declared as he flicked his tongue in a sexual manner.</p>
<p>I rolled my eyes. "I doubt it," I mumbled under my breath. Daryl chuckled as he put the pot of oatmeal over the fire.</p>
<p>Merle shrugged, unaffected by my wisecrack. "You can joke all ya want Princess, but don' be surprised if ya find ya'self cravin' ol' Merle afta awhile," he warned with a wink.</p>
<p>I gave him an incredulous look.</p>
<p>"Of course, maybe ya won't," Merle said, standing up. "Maybe you'll be too busy gettin' it on wit my baby brother here," he teased, rolling his hips around suggestively. "He ain't the original, but he'll do in a pinch," he smirked and started walking away.</p>
<p>I coughed loudly in response. I did not see that coming. Once again, Merle had effectively embarrassed us both and created an awkward atmosphere at the same time. That man was an evil genius.</p>
<p>Daryl gave me a sheepish grimace before speaking. "Sorry 'bout Merle," he mumbled and shrugged. He had a rosy blush on his cheeks that I'm sure matched my own.</p>
<p>"Did you grab your hand radio from the cabin before we left?" I asked Daryl in an attempt to change the subject. "I was thinking it would be good to check for any updates on our situation."</p>
<p>"Yeah," Daryl answered, nodding his head. "But I left it 'n tha truck. I'll get it afta we eat."</p>
<p>With that, Daryl began to cook breakfast while I sat near the fire. As he cooked, I allowed my thoughts to roam to my family and I hoped that wherever they were, they were alive and doing fine. The oatmeal cooked quickly and soon, he was scooping a helping of oatmeal into the first bowl which he handed to me.</p>
<p>"Merle," Daryl shouted. "Getcha ass out here. Oatmeal's done."</p>
<p>He then made a bowl for Merle which he put on the ground next to his feet, before making a serving for himself.</p>
<p>We began eating our oatmeal as Merle came out of his tent. He was wearing a new pair of jeans with a rebel flag shirt that had the sleeves cut off. He took a seat between us and picked up his bowl of oatmeal.</p>
<p>"This looks like shit," Merle commented as he poked the oatmeal around with his spoon.</p>
<p>"Tastes like shit too. But it's what we got so quit bitchin' and start eatin'," Daryl replied and ate a spoonful of the brown mush from his own bowl.</p>
<p>Merle groaned but ate a mouthful of the warm oatmeal. He made a disgusted face and tried to take another bite before deciding against it. "I can't eat this shit. I'm goin' huntin," he announced and threw his bowl on the ground as he stood up. He then went to his tent and grabbed a rifle and his hunting knife before he walked out of the clearing.</p>
<p>"Is he okay to go out there alone?" I asked.</p>
<p>Daryl laughed like that was the stupidest question he ever heard. "My brother is tha toughest asshole I know," he answered, smiling at me. "Don' worry 'bout him. Only Merle can kill Merle."</p>
<p>I nodded at him and kept my thoughts to myself. I was more than a little worried that Merle would end up killing himself, either by overdosing or being eaten by a walker because he was too high to think straight. I suddenly felt the urge to tell Daryl about Merle's bag of drugs but the words died in my throat. I told myself it was because I didn't know how to bring up the subject, but the truth was that I was a coward. I didn't want to see Daryl's face when he learned the truth because I knew it would break him.</p>
<p>I remained silent and continued to eat my meal with my gaze down, too scared he'd see the guilt written in my eyes.</p>
<p>"I'm gonna go to the truck n' grab the radio," he informed me, pulling me from my thoughts. "You should stay in camp. Don' know how it is up there. Haven't scouted the area this mornin'," he explained as he stood up.</p>
<p>I blanched. "You want me to stay in camp alone?"</p>
<p>
  <em>Was he serious?</em>
</p>
<p>"Don' worry. Merle's nearby. You're safe," he assured me and walked over to the tent. He picked up his crossbow and came back to the makeshift fire pit.</p>
<p>"I'll be back shortly. Take this," he said, handing me a hunting knife.</p>
<p>I gave him an incredulous look. "Clearly, you're overestimating my fighting abilities."</p>
<p>Daryl chuckled before responding. "Ya won't have to use it. Like I said, Merle's around. Jus' thought it might make ya feel better," he explained with a slight smile.</p>
<p>Glad to know someone found this situation amusing because I sure as hell didn't.</p>
<p>"Don' worry. Nothin' is gonna happen to ya. And I'll be back soon," he promised.</p>
<p>I scowled. I didn't want to be left alone.</p>
<p>"Be safe," I grumbled then pouted.</p>
<p>He gave a slight smirk at my dramatic antics and chuckled. "I'll be back," he promised again before he left.</p>
<p>I watched him walk away until he was out of the clearing. Now that I was alone, I began to fret. I knew Merle was in the vicinity somewhere but that still didn't ease my mind much. I unsheathed the hunting knife Daryl handed me and held it out in my hand for a while. Realizing I was more likely to harm myself than an actual corpse, I thought better of holding it and sheathed it again. Just as I put the knife away, I heard a shuffling noise near the bush to my left. I grabbed the knife so fast that it flung out of my hands and landed fifteen feet away. My heart clenched in fear as I regarded it lying on the dirt before me.</p>
<p>"Well that ain't gonna help ya now," Merle laughed as he emerged from the bushes.</p>
<p>I breathed in a deep sigh of relief. Thank goodness it was just Merle. I would have been screwed otherwise.</p>
<p>"Women," Merle said, shaking his head. "Ain't good for nothin' but fuckin' and cookin'," he finished as he came to a stop in front of me.</p>
<p>My jaw dropped in shock. Did he really just say that? I was just about to go on a feminist rant when I noticed he had two dead squirrels dangling in his left hand.</p>
<p>"Please tell me those aren't squirrels in your hand?" I begged as I felt my stomach lurch.</p>
<p>"What these?" he asked, holding the bloody squirrels right in front of my face.</p>
<p>I gagged and swatted his hand away from me. He enjoyed a good laugh at my expense before dropping the squirrels on the floor near the fire pit.</p>
<p>"How did you kill them?" I asked confused. "I didn't hear any shots."</p>
<p>He gave me a cocky smirk. "I like to practice my knife throwin' sometimes."</p>
<p>I grimaced as I thought about the squirrels' gruesome death.</p>
<p>"Ain't you som' kind of doctor?" Merle questioned with a raised eyebrow. "Dontcha see blood and guts all the time? You tellin' me you ain't never seen no dead bodies before?"</p>
<p>I shook my head. "It's not the gore that bothers me," I explained quickly. "You get desensitized fast in my profession. It's the fact that you're planning to eat what I would consider vermin that makes me want to vomit," I stated clearly. "Well that and the thought of you killing them in a horrible manner," I added as an after thought.</p>
<p>Merle laughed out loud as he began to gut the squirrels. "You're a strange one Girlie," he said as he threw the guts onto the ground. "A vegetarian and som' kind of what?—animal activist?" he questioned with obvious distaste. "I don' know what my brother sees in ya," he said, shaking his head.</p>
<p>I shrugged. "It's probably my winning personality."</p>
<p>Merle grunted. "More like that sweet ass of yours," he mumbled under his breath.</p>
<p>"I heard that," I chastised, giving him a hard stare.</p>
<p>Merle just smiled in response as he began gutting the second squirrel. I watched his process with rapt attention, the doctor in me finding the whole thing fascinating. In his own way, Merle was just as skilled as a physician, easily making incisions and removing parts that needed to be discarded. I wanted to watch the entire process from start to finish but the pressure from my bladder was becoming more pressing by the minute. Crap. I hadn't thought about this until now. Where was I supposed to relieve myself?</p>
<p>"I have to pee," I said, breaking the silence.</p>
<p>"So? Why the hell ya tellin' me that?" Merle questioned as he began to peel back the skin off the squirrels.</p>
<p>"Is there a bathroom around here?" I asked, looking around.</p>
<p>"No Princess," he said chuckling. "There ain't no bathrooms in the middle of the woods."</p>
<p>"Well I thought there might be a camping site nearby…the kind that have bathrooms," I explained with a slight blush. It's not like I ever camped before. "Well where am I supposed to…you know…," I trailed off, too embarrassed to finish the question. I was not a camping type of girl. I was very much a metropolitan girl used to all the amenities a large city offers. To say I was out of my element was an enormous understatement.</p>
<p>"Hell girl, pick any tree or bush," Merle instructed, waving his hand around in every direction.</p>
<p>"I can't go out there alone," I shrieked.</p>
<p>"Where's Daryl? Ask him ta go wit ya," he suggested as he focused on his task at hand.</p>
<p>"He's not here," I replied. "He went to get the radio out of the truck."</p>
<p>"Well get him to go wit ya when he gets back," Merle replied, shrugging his shoulders.</p>
<p>I grimaced. "I don't think I can wait that long," I admitted with pleading eyes.</p>
<p>"Aww hell," Merle complained as he let out a loud breath of annoyance. "You're his stray, not mine. I swear, next time Daryl wants ta save a stray, I'm runnin' her over!" he grumbled.</p>
<p>"Please Merle," I begged again, giving him my best impression of puppy eyes. I could not go in the woods alone.</p>
<p>"Fine," he grunted in agreement.</p>
<p>"Thank you Merle," I gushed, smiling sweetly.</p>
<p>He grunted harshly and mumbled something about being "a fuckin' chaperone" before he skewered the skinned squirrels onto a stick and placed them on a rock near the fire pit.</p>
<p>"C'mon," he barked and stood up.</p>
<p>I grinned in response and hopped up to follow him as he led us out of the clearing.</p>
<p>"Wait," I told him before I ran toward my tent.</p>
<p>"What's wrong?" I heard Merle shout after me.</p>
<p>"Forgot to take wet wipes," I hollered back as I made my way into the tent. I found the container of wet wipes, exited the tent and ran back to Merle. He gave me a look of contempt but said nothing. We walked in the woods for a while before Merle finally stopped in front of a large bush.</p>
<p>"You can piss behind this bush," he instructed and turned his back to the shrub to give me privacy.</p>
<p>I walked behind the bush and started to pull down my leggings but stopped. "Don't turn around," I ordered, not trusting Merle to not take a peek.</p>
<p>"Ain't nobody tryin' to watch a woman take a piss," Merle replied harshly, shaking his head.</p>
<p>I continued to pull my leggings down followed by my bikini bottom underwear and squatted behind the bush.</p>
<p>"I can't go," I admitted after a moment.</p>
<p>"Why not?" Merle asked irritated.</p>
<p>I exhaled loudly before admitting the truth. "You're going to hear me pee. I can't go if you're listening," I confessed. "This is why I have problems using public restrooms."</p>
<p>"Well, what the hell am I supposed to do?" Merle asked agitated.</p>
<p>"I don't know," I replied. "Make some noise," I suggested. "Just not loud enough to attract the walkers." I couldn't die with my pants around my ankles. That would be worse than death.</p>
<p>Merle was quiet for a moment before he started whistling. It was the same song he whistled back at the cabin when he was high off prescription painkillers. The song reminded me of an old timey ballad from the '40s. It had a nice melodic tune but it was also loud enough to mask the sound of me urinating. Feeling satisfied with the noise, I was finally able to relieve myself. When I was done, I quickly used a wet wipe to clean myself and another one to clean my hands. It didn't feel as good as washing my hands but it would have to do. I then pulled up my bikini bottoms and leggings and placed some leaves over my pee puddle. I'm not sure why I thought the animals would care but it seemed like the polite thing to do.</p>
<p>"Ok, I'm done," I announced and walked over to Merle. "Thanks," I muttered, avoiding eye contact as we made our way back to camp.</p>
<p>"Yeah we'll don't get used to it. I ain't doin' it again," he informed me with a hard stare and sat back down near the fire.</p>
<p>I nodded and went to put my wet wipes away in my tent. When I exited the tent, I saw Daryl had returned to camp. I was half tempted to just enter the tent again and save myself the embarrassment of Merle re-telling our experience when I caught sight of the radio in Daryl's hands.</p>
<p>"Are there any updates?" I asked, walking toward him.</p>
<p>Daryl shrugged. "Haven't turned it on yet," he replied, offering me the radio.</p>
<p>I grabbed the radio in earnest and sat down near Merle, who was roasting his squirrels over the fire. I turned the radio on and scanned for any clear station as Daryl sat down next to me and rested his crossbow in the dirt.</p>
<p>I found a clear channel and turned the radio up so we could all hear the report.</p>
<p>"<em>The military has secured a refugee center outside of the city located at Adams Stadium in North Druid Hills. The refugee center will accept all healthy persons to reside within its premises. All citizens seeking refuge will have to undergo a physical to ensure public safety.</em></p>
<p>
  <em>State and Federal officers have joined military troops in their efforts to secure the Center for Disease Control against the infected. It is reported that the CDC is currently in search of a cure and is working with other agencies and foreign governments in a joint effort.</em>
</p>
<p><em>We will continue to report any new updates as we receive them. To ensure citizens obtain all information, this report will repeat until our next update</em>."</p>
<p>I turned the radio off and digested the report before I spoke. "It's all good news," I finally commented, feeling elated. If the military had secured a refugee center, that meant they were having some success with thwarting the infected and securing the safety of citizens.</p>
<p>"There's a chance things could go back to normal," I commented aloud. "Well, eventually," I added as an afterthought.</p>
<p>"So what's the plan?" I asked, turning my attention to the Dixon brothers.</p>
<p>Daryl shrugged. "Ain't got no plan. Jus' survive until this shit is over."</p>
<p>"Are we staying in the woods?" I asked. "Not to offend anyone, but I absolute hate camping. Sleeping on the ground is inhumane and torturous on my back. I have aches and pains everywhere!" I complained. I kept the part about having to pee in the bushes to myself. No need to give Merle more ammo to tease me with.</p>
<p>"We could go to the refugee center," Merle suggested as he continued to roast his squirrels over the fire.</p>
<p>"No," I replied, shaking my head. "It took FEMA five days to get water to the Superdome after Hurricane Katrina. You'll have to forgive me if I don't trust the government to provide for me," I finished sardonically.</p>
<p>"But ya trust two rednecks?" Daryl questioned with a raised eyebrow.</p>
<p>I shrugged. "You've kept me alive this long. That has to count for something."</p>
<p>"Mostly for the drugs," Merle commented, laughing at his own joke.</p>
<p>I gave Merle an icy glare as Daryl punched him in the shoulder.</p>
<p>"Jackass," Daryl muttered and gave Merle an irritated look. "I'm gonna go scout the woods," he announced, standing up. "You wanna come Natasha?" he asked, looking at me. "Gotta be betta than hangin' 'round this asshole all day."</p>
<p>I laughed. "Yeah, I'll go with you."</p>
<p>Anything was better than staying in camp with Merle. I could only take so much of him at once. But that wasn't the real reason I agreed to go. The truth was: I didn't like being far from Daryl. His presence made me feel safe and I felt better when I was around him. I hated to admit it but Daryl was like a security blanket to me now. I had to resist the groan wanting to come out. I hated that this outbreak had made me so damn co-dependent. Between that and my newfound abandonment issues, I was barely recognizable to myself anymore.</p>
<p>"If you're goin' wit him, ya might wanna tame that lion's mane you call hair," Merle taunted as he ate a chunk of squirrel meat. "Don' want it attackin' any wild life. The birds and squirrels got enough problems as it is," he jested and took another bite of squirrel meat.</p>
<p>I gave him a look of disdain. My hair wasn't that bad. Sure, it was curly and a bit frizzy at the moment—thanks humidity, but normally it was rather nice and voluminous.</p>
<p>Before I could come up with a witty response, Daryl responded for me. "I know you ain't talkin'," he began, laughing to himself. "At least she has hair. Yours seems to be fleein' 'n every direction like cottonwood seeds."</p>
<p>I giggled at the joke before Merle shot me a dirty glare.</p>
<p>"You're two days away from lookin' like a pair of balls," Daryl continued, laughing even harder.</p>
<p>"Shut up, man," Merle ordered, patting his hair subconsciously. "Same thing's gonna happen to you 'n a couple of years."</p>
<p>"No it ain't," Daryl refuted, shaking his head. "<em>You</em> got Pa's genes. I didn't," he finished with a smug smile.</p>
<p>"Man, whatever," Merle hissed dismissively. "Wasn't you goin' scoutin'? What the hell you still doin' 'round here?"</p>
<p>I smiled. It was nice to see Merle getting riled up for once.</p>
<p>"Can you give me a few minutes to get ready?" I asked, turning my attention back to Daryl.</p>
<p>He nodded and I got up and made my way to the tent. I quickly went through my backpack and grabbed a new outfit. I decided on a pair of dark gray leggings and a turquoise racerback top. It didn't have a built in bra so I grabbed a yellow bikini top as a bra replacement and a pair of bikini bottoms as substitute underwear. After I was dressed, I pulled my hair back into a loose bun so Merle would finally shut up about it. A few stray curls popped out around my face but I was used to my defiant hair so I left it alone.</p>
<p>I stood up and grimaced. My body felt riddled with aches and pains. I couldn't tell if I was sore from all the running and fighting or if it was from sleeping on such a solid surface all night. My bet was it was from sleeping on the ground. Damn camping. Hopefully, things would quickly go back to normal or I would have to convince the Dixon brothers to find a more suitable living situation.</p>
<p>I exited the tent and cringed as my body ached again. I made my way over to the Dixons, where I stopped next to Daryl.</p>
<p>"Are you sure we can't go back to the cabin?" I complained, cracking my neck from side to side.</p>
<p>"Sure, if ya want anotha shoot out," Merle replied with a grin.</p>
<p>I glared at him then sighed. "Fine, but I need to stretch before we leave. I can't walk through the woods like this," I explained. "I feel like the tin man from The Wizard of Oz."</p>
<p>Daryl nodded then started talking to Merle as I made my way over to an open area. Starting with my upper body first, I stretched my arms high above my head, reaching toward the sky. I could feel a strong pull from my shoulders down to my obliques and I relished the feeling of release. As those muscles loosened, I arched my back and cracked those hidden spots that held so much tension. I was so enthralled in the delicious feeling of my stretch that I closed my eyes and let my head fall backwards as I moaned in delight. I inhaled deeply, holding my breath for a few seconds before releasing the oxygen out of my lungs in a long sigh. I finally opened my eyes, only to see both Dixons brothers watching me intently.</p>
<p>"Damn Sweetheart," Merle whistled. "Ya tryin' to give me mornin' wood or somethin?" he asked, waggling his eyebrows at me. "That was one hell of a stretch Princess."</p>
<p>"Merle," Daryl warned in a low tone.</p>
<p>"What brother?" Merle said, chuckling. "I don' know what was more arousin'…the moaning or the stretchin'. Either way, I've got a boner," he finished with a dirty smirk directed at me.</p>
<p>"Merle!" I admonished, feeling thoroughly creeped out.</p>
<p>Daryl pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath. "Dammit, Merle. Can't ya jus' shut the hell up for once?" he questioned in obvious agitation.</p>
<p>Merle huffed out in annoyance. "Fine," he agreed begrudgingly. "What a bunch of pussies," he muttered as he took another bite of roasted squirrel meat.</p>
<p>I walked over to Daryl by the fire pit. He gave me a once over and I felt my breath pause as his eyes roamed over my body appreciatively. When his gaze landed on mine, I saw his cheeks get the faintest of pinks before he quickly looked away. I had to bite my inner cheek to suppress smiling.</p>
<p>
  <em>Daryl was definitely checking me out. </em>
</p>
<p>"C'mon, let's go," Daryl instructed as he picked up his crossbow. He placed his other hand on my lower back and guided me to start walking. "Jus' ignore Merle from now on," he whispered low in my ear.</p>
<p>I shuddered as his silky voice glided over me like a velvet glove. Ignoring Merle wasn't going to be a problem. Ignoring the way I was feeling about Daryl was going to be a challenge.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>*TWD*</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Daryl led me through the thickness of the woods as I followed behind him. We walked in silence for a long time as Daryl scanned the perimeter for any signs of danger. He made walking through the woods look effortless and natural whereas I was having a trip from hell. I couldn't walk ten feet without stumbling over a damn rock or tripping over a root. Leaves and bushes scraped against my bare arms as branches caught in my hair and scratched me. I thought a leisurely stroll through the woods would be therapeutic and refreshing like how it was portrayed in commercials and photographs. What a bunch of bullshit. What they don't show is all the scrapes and bruises you'll be sporting the next day. I now understood why Daryl ordered me to change out of my shorts yesterday back at the cabin. I cringed at the thought of going through the woods in shorts. It would have been a nightmare.</p>
<p>We continued walking through the woods for what felt like forever. The temperature was steadily rising and even in the cover of endless trees, the heat was thick and palatable. I was used to living in a warmer climate as Los Angeles had mostly sunny days. What I wasn't prepared for was the humidity that caused moisture to cling to my body in droplets. Every part of my body seemed to be wet and hot at the same time. The creases behind my knees and in front of my elbows seemed to be throwing a pool party if the moisture was any indication. I groaned loudly, irritated by the unbeatable heat.</p>
<p>"Everything okay?" Daryl asked, looking concerned.</p>
<p>"Just peachy," I lied and gave him an obvious fake smile. I used my hand to wipe my forehead and frowned when my hand came away soaked.</p>
<p>Daryl chuckled before responding. "Ya get used to it afta awhile."</p>
<p>I gave him a disbelieving look. "I seriously doubt that."</p>
<p>"C'mon," he directed. "Ain't much more to scout. We're almost done."</p>
<p>I groaned again but followed him. We walked in silence again for a while as I continued to stumble sporadically. I looked at Daryl and frowned. How did he make traipsing through the woods look so effortless and calming? He truly appeared to be one with nature. Almost as if he was in his natural habitat. I was so absorbed in my thoughts that I didn't see the thick root underneath me. I fell harshly onto the ground, landing painfully on my hands and knees. I huffed out in frustration and let out a string of curses.</p>
<p>"Ya keep fallin' 'cuz you're in ya head," Daryl chastised as he held a hand out for me. I grabbed his hand and narrowed my eyes at him as he hauled me up. "Dontcha look at me like that. Stop thinkin' and jus' be," he counseled.</p>
<p>"That's easy for you to say Tarzan," I complained. He was like the redneck Mowgli—at home in the wild. "How the hell do you expect me to survive in these woods?" I questioned with a frown.</p>
<p>"Ya worry too much," he stated and rubbed his thumb along my frown lines. He stared down at me with humor twinkling in his eyes as he chuckled lightly.</p>
<p>"You really are a city girl," he mused, moving a stray curl away from my face. "Ya actin' like you've been wanderin' the wilderness for days when ya really just been walking through the woods for an hour."</p>
<p>"Actually, I was thinking it felt more like a lifetime," I replied sarcastically. "And this heat is unbearable. Everytime I think it can't get hotter, it somehow does," I complained as I felt a bead of sweat run down the center of my breasts.</p>
<p>
  <em>Great, I had boob sweat now. </em>
</p>
<p>Daryl laughed and the sound was deep and coarse like boulders tumbling down a hill. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't turned on.</p>
<p>"You're 'n tha South. What did ya expect?" he asked, shaking his head in amusement.</p>
<p>"To have access to air conditioning," I mumbled, wiping my forehead again.</p>
<p>Daryl chuckled as his hand reached up and wiped away a bead of sweat rolling down the side of my face. "It ain't that bad," he commented quietly as his hand lingered a moment longer than needed.</p>
<p>His eyes met mine, and I could see a twinkle of both amusement and want. He looked down to my lips for a fraction of a second like he was debating something. His gaze then drifted down to my neck and his eyes instantly darkened. He brought his hand to my neck and let his knuckles graze the skin there in a tender fashion. I winced at the sudden flare of pain before the memory of Lyle biting me flashed before my eyes.</p>
<p>"Does it hurt?" Daryl whispered as his eyebrows knitted together in concern.</p>
<p>I shook my head. "Only a little," I lied. The truth was that the skin felt raw and tender.</p>
<p>He slowly lifted his eyes to meet mine and I was frozen by the weight of his stare. A world of emotions swam behind his ocean eyes and it reminded me of rolling waves in the middle of a hurricane. He seemed to be struggling between fury and something else—something that was close to his heart. It took me a moment longer to realize it was remorse. Daryl was blaming himself for what happened with Lyle.</p>
<p>"It's not your fault," I whispered, looking into his haunted eyes.</p>
<p>He gave me a sad smile that made my heart ache. He didn't believe my words.</p>
<p>"I'm sorry," he said, keeping his eyes focused on the grotesque bruise. "Ya shoulda never been there."</p>
<p>"You're right, I should've been dead," I reminded him. If he hadn't saved me on that highway, I would've never met Lyle…but I also wouldn't be alive.</p>
<p>Daryl just hummed as his consciousness ate away at him. His brows furrowed again before his eyes suddenly hardened, resembling a block of frozen ice. "He ain't never gonna touch you again. I made sure of that."</p>
<p>I swallowed thickly at the harshness in his voice. It reminded me how dangerous Daryl could be. "I know," I assured him, placing my hand on his arm. I gave him a small smile as I looked up at him. "I'm okay Daryl. I really am."</p>
<p>The waters swirling in his eyes stilled at once and instantly, I felt at peace.</p>
<p>"I won't let nothin' like that happen again," Daryl vowed, breaking the silence. "I'll keep ya safe," he promised, looking at me with a gaze so intense, it nearly knocked me off my feet. I never had a man look at me the way Daryl did. The chemistry between us was electric but as easy as breathing.</p>
<p>My smile grew as my heart pounded furiously in my chest.</p>
<p>"You trust me?" he asked, staring at me intently.</p>
<p>I didn't even have to think before the words came out of my mouth. "I trust you."</p>
<p>I watched as my words eased the tension out of his body until his face was calm and serene again.</p>
<p>"Good girl," he commented, nodding his head approvingly before he gave me a mouthwatering smirk that made my knees almost buckle underneath me. "C'mon, I wanna show ya somethin'," he revealed in a low voice and turned around to resume our trek through the woods.</p>
<p>I wasn't even sure I could walk at this point.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>*TWD*</p>
<p> </p>
<p>It was another ten minutes before Daryl finally stopped at the end of the tree line, revealing his surprise to me. A wide creek separated the land, cutting off the other side of the woods from us. Rocks of various sizes lined the sides of the creek, directing the water further south, through winding turns until it completely disappeared among the foliage of the thick Georgian trees. A few larger boulders sat in the middle of the creek with smaller rocks littering the water like little stepping stones, beckoning visitors to travel amongst them. The rushing water was crystal clear and sparkled in the sunlight like a sea of jewels flaunting their beauty for all to see. It was so mesmerizing that I had completely forgotten about my discomfort and the heat.</p>
<p>"It's beautiful," I breathed out, turning to face Daryl with a large smile on my face.</p>
<p>"I thought ya might like it," Daryl replied with a satisfied smirk. He looked around for a moment and made sure that we were safe before he slung his crossbow across his back. "C'mon," he ordered, gesturing for me to follow him.</p>
<p>He lead me to the edge of the water and turned back to me. "Watch your step. Som' of these rocks are slippery and ya don' wanna fall in. Trust me. Walkin' back ta camp in wet shoes is a bitch," he warned, chuckling slightly. "I can help ya across," he offered, holding out his hand to me.</p>
<p>His crystal blue eyes sparkled like the water behind him and I had to bite my inner cheek to stop the huge smile threatening to reveal itself. I could feel my heart bloom with joyous anticipation as I finally placed my hand inside of his. Daryl's large calloused hand enveloped mine in its warmth before he gave me a flirty wink and led us onto the first rock.</p>
<p>I followed behind him, watching my step as he led us from rock to rock. I gazed down, transfixed by the clear water, as I trailed behind him. I heard Daryl say something from in front of me when a frog suddenly jumped out of the water. I screamed and jerked backwards, causing me to lose my footing. I flailed and started falling backwards, headed straight for the water beneath me when Daryl stepped into motion, moving so swiftly it seemed impossible. Before I knew what was happening, Daryl's arm shot out and grabbed me by the waist as he tugged me close and twisted us around so that now I was in front of him. Daryl held me tight in his arms as we teetered for a moment, balancing precariously on the top of the smaller rock until we finally stood still.</p>
<p>My chest rose and fell alongside his as I looked up to his face. His eyes roamed over me in a slow, curious fashion that had my stomach doing summersaults. Something about Daryl's intense gaze felt undeniably intimate like a lover's caress.</p>
<p>"See something you like?" I flirted, raising one eyebrow up in question.</p>
<p>Daryl smirked. "Maybe," he answered with a low chuckle.</p>
<p>I bit my lip and smiled as I a fierce blush covered my cheeks.</p>
<p>"You're cute when you blush," Daryl commented, looking me over with a cocky smile plastered on his face.</p>
<p>I rolled my eyes. "You don't have to look so smug about it."</p>
<p>Daryl chuckled. "Al'ight. C'mon then," he said, maneuvering our bodies so he was in front of me again.</p>
<p>He led us the rest of the way, stepping from rock to rock until we made it to the large flat boulder that rose above the water line, providing adequate seating in the middle of the creek. Daryl sat down first and motioned for me to take a seat next to him.</p>
<p>"How do you even know about this place?" I asked as I watched the water rush around us, leaving little splashes of water on the rock.</p>
<p>Daryl placed his crossbow down next to him before answering. "I come here when I wanna think," he answered, looking off into the distance. "It's peaceful here."</p>
<p>I hummed in agreement before I looked down into the clear water below. I smiled when I saw a small fish swim by. This place was perfect.</p>
<p>"Have you brought a lot of women here?" I asked playfully, looking back at Daryl.</p>
<p>Daryl gave a humorless chuckle. "Nope," he answered, letting the "p" pop as he spoke. "Ain't never brought nobody here—not even Merle."</p>
<p>I found myself pleased that he hadn't shared his secret spot with anyone else. It made the creek feel like it belonged to just us—like it was ours.</p>
<p>"Not even your girlfriend?" I asked, saying the words as soon as I thought them. I cringed and shook my head. "I'm sorry. That was really intrusive," I said, looking away in embarrassment. "You don't have to answer that."</p>
<p>Sure, I wanted to know if he had a girlfriend but I planned to be a lot more discreet than that. Trying to save what little dignity I had left, I quickly tried to school my features into a look of disinterest as I continued to look into the water.</p>
<p>"Ain't got no girl," Daryl responded in a low tone from next to me.</p>
<p>I turned to look at him and couldn't help the bright smile that emerged on my face.</p>
<p>Daryl laughed. "You ain't gotta look so pleased," he said, shaking his head. "What about you?" he asked, cocking his head to the side. "You got some guy out there lookin' for ya?" he questioned with a small smile creeping up his face.</p>
<p>I snorted. "No, not unless you count the endless amount of men trying to eat my brains," I joked sardonically.</p>
<p>Daryl chuckled once.</p>
<p>"How come a woman like you ain't got no man?" he asked after a moment of silence.</p>
<p>I shrugged. "I've always been busy with school or work. It's hard to meet guys when you're busy…and even harder to keep them. And I'm not one for random hookups so my dating life has always been somewhat limited," I admitted truthfully. "I probably have the dating life of a sixty year old," I joked, feeling a bit embarrassed.</p>
<p>Daryl chuckled. "Naw, I get it. Ya want a real connection," he said, nodding his head. "Ain't nothin' to be ashamed of."</p>
<p>I smiled, grateful that Daryl understood me. He had a way of doing that. It made me like him more and more.</p>
<p>I maneuvered my body around until I was lying on my stomach and dipped my hand into the cool water beneath me. It was quiet for a while as I slowly swished my hand in different directions, watching the water's ripples appear and disappear. As I continued to languidly play in the water, I could feel Daryl watching me intently. I slowly turned my head to the side to see him staring at me with such concentration that I was momentarily paralyzed in his gaze. My hand stopped its playful strokes and stilled within the water as I watched Daryl watching me.</p>
<p>"What?" I asked, feeling somewhat self-conscious.</p>
<p>"Nothin'," he said, shaking his head in an attempt to dispel his thoughts. "We should probably head back," he said after a moment.</p>
<p>He stood up and slung his crossbow over his shoulder before offering me his hand. I put my hand in his and hauled me up. We stood so close to one another that my chest rested on his. I should have taken a step back, but neither of us seemed to want to separate from our new position.</p>
<p>I allowed my eyes to trail down his body in a slow appraisal. A sheen of sweat stuck to his skin as the temperature rose from the sun's current position in the sky. It gave his skin a slight shine and made his hair stick to the nape of his neck. It was a look that I was finding more and more attractive. His arms were chiseled—probably from his frequent use of holding that heavy crossbow—and I couldn't stop myself from fantasizing about them holding me in a passionate embrace. I heard a throat clear and looked up to see Daryl staring at me with an arched eyebrow.</p>
<p>"See somethin' ya like?" he asked as a cocky smirk emerged on his face.</p>
<p>I wanted to say something witty and sarcastic but I suddenly couldn't think past the blood rushing to my face as my heart beat wildly in my chest. Something about the way Daryl was looking at me caused a pleasant sensation to swell within me.</p>
<p>"Maybe," I replied with a coy smile, repeating his words from earlier.</p>
<p>Daryl laughed and I closed my eyes as I felt the vibration from his laugh ripple along my chest from where our bodies still touched. Unable to stop it, I shuddered against him as my body reacted to his proximity. Fuck, even his laugh was turning me on.</p>
<p>When I opened my eyes again, Daryl was staring at me with a smoldering gaze that was full of heat, want and need. His eyes pierced mine for a moment before his eyes drifted down to my lips. His hand crept up my neck into the roots of my curls, and he let his fingers message the skin there as his eyes searched mine, seeking a silent permission. My breath hitched before I nodded, licking my lips in anticipation.</p>
<p>Daryl gave me one last searching gaze before he leaned in, drawing us together like kinetic energy. I closed my eyes and felt the ghost of his lips hover over mine when two loud gunshots rang out from the woods.</p>
<p>In a blink of an eye, Daryl had his crossbow in his hand scanning the area for danger as I stood helplessly next to him. When no threat showed itself, I came to the only conclusion I could think of.</p>
<p>"Merle," I whispered.</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <strong>As always, please leave a comment and let me know what you thought of this chapter. Also, if you haven't voted, please leave a comment and vote. Thanks!</strong>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Chapter 10</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>It’s official…Merle won! Thank you to everyone who voted. I really appreciated all of your feedback and comments. Going forward, I will change things up and take more creative control but I plan to stick to the major events in canon for continuity.  </strong>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>Daryl gazed at me for a second before grabbing my wrist and telling me to run. We jumped from rock to rock until we hit land, then we ran hard and fast through the thickness of the woods. I was grateful that I was a seasoned runner as our pace was brutal with the need to help Merle.</p>
<p>I watched in amazement as Daryl glided through the trees like a natural woodland creature while I struggled to keep my footing without falling. Despite his advantage, we kept neck and neck as I was a seasoned runner and Daryl was not. Whatever lead he might have gotten from his agility, I made up with sheer speed and endurance. As we continued on, I noticed his breathing become more erratic from inexperience while mine remained consistent from years of training. Both of us were evenly matched as we sprinted between the trees, racing to rescue Merle.</p>
<p>About thirty feet before we entered the clearing, Daryl abruptly halted and pulled me to a stop behind him.</p>
<p>“Shhh,” he directed. “Don’ know what we’re gettin’ into. We go slow from here,” he ordered.</p>
<p>I nodded in agreement. He began to move through the woods slowly, crouched low with his crossbow aimed in front of him. I followed his lead and crouched low behind him. We continued to creep through the woods, mindful of staying silent as we approached the clearing. Just before we exited the tree line, Daryl stopped.</p>
<p>He kept his crossbow aimed in front of him as he scanned the clearing, looking for any sign of danger. As far as I could see, our campsite looked exactly the same way we left it. I looked back to Daryl to see what he wanted to do, when suddenly, a bush across the clearing rustled with movement.</p>
<p>Daryl quickly aimed his crossbow at the bush just as Merle emerged from the thickness of the woods, carrying a rifle and two dead rabbits.</p>
<p>“What the fuck Bro?” Daryl growled as he stood up from his crouched position.</p>
<p>“Where the hell have y’all been?” Merle asked, completely oblivious to Daryl’s irritation.</p>
<p>Daryl exhaled harshly and rubbed the back of his neck in relief. “Asshole. Thought somethin’ was wrong,” he said, shaking his head and walking over to Merle.</p>
<p>“Quit ya bitchin’. Got us some coneys for dinner,” Merle said, holding up a pair of rabbits by their feet.</p>
<p>I couldn’t believe him. What an idiot! I stomped my way over to Merle in a rage. “You do know walkers are attracted to sound, don’t you?” I asked haughtily as I crossed my arms and gave him my most patronizing stare. </p>
<p>“Simmer down Sweet Cheeks,” Merle ordered calmly, not the least bit worried. “Ain’t no walker gonna be able to pinpoint those gunshots. Not with that quarry ricocheting the sound in every direction.”</p>
<p>“That’s still not a guarantee,” I argued back, exasperated with his cavalier attitude. “Would it kill you to be more cautious? I thought you were pretty handy with your knives anyways.”</p>
<p>Merle smirked before replying. “I’m handy wit a lot of things darlin’,” he boasted in an insinuating manner.</p>
<p>I rolled my eyes as Merle walked over to the fire pit that had burned down to cold ashes and tossed the rabbits on the ground. He sat down on a large rock and leaned his rifle against it before he pulled a pack of cigarettes out of his pants pocket.</p>
<p>“Where the hell you two been anyways?” Merle questioned again, pulling out a cigarette from the pack. “It don’ take that long to scout the perimeter.”</p>
<p>My mind raced back to the moment at the creek and I felt my cheeks heat up as I blushed. I looked to Daryl to answer but I noticed he looked equally uncomfortable.</p>
<p>Merle looked at both of us before a large grin covered his face. “Well I’ll be damn,” he commented and whistled in surprise. “Didn’t think ya had it in ya little brother. Good for you,” he congratulated, clapping his hands in an over the top display.</p>
<p>Daryl frowned and spit on the ground. “Shut up Bro. Ya don’ know what the hell ya talkin’ ‘bout.”</p>
<p>“Ohhhh, I see,” Merle began, looking between the both of us. “Did my gunshots stop the lovebirds from making love sweet love?” he asked with a teasing smile. “Don’ stop your frolickin’ on my account. As you can see, I’m just peachy. Y’all can go back and continue your little escapades,” he ordered, waving us away like little children.</p>
<p>Daryl bristled next to me, clearly irritated with his brother’s incessant teasing.</p>
<p>“Can you just drop it?” I asked Merle, giving him an annoyed look.</p>
<p>Merle looked like he was debating it over for a moment before he finally agreed. “Sure thing Princess.”</p>
<p>I gave him a sarcastic smile full of derision. “Thanks.”</p>
<p>“Well if ya really wanna thank me, why don’ ya come, sit on my lap and dance for me,” Merle purred, patting his thighs in encouragement.</p>
<p>“And that’s my cue,” I said, turning to Daryl. “I think I’m going to take a nap. There’s nothing to do and I’d rather be unconscious than listen to Merle for another second,” I added, giving Merle a look of disgust.</p>
<p>“Ouch. You wound me Princess,” Merle claimed, clamping his hand over his heart in mockery. “Don’ worry, I’ll send my baby brother in there after you in a little while. Y’all can play doctor under the covers,” he teased, lifting his eyebrows up and down for emphasis.</p>
<p>I hated Merle.</p>
<p>“You’re a fuckin’ asshole,” Daryl mumbled, shaking his head in annoyance.</p>
<p>“It’s my job, little brother,” Merle claimed, smiling proudly. “Somebody’s gotta bust ya chops. You sure as hell ain’t gettin’ laid by ya’self.”</p>
<p>“Merle” Daryl growled in warning, giving Merle a death glare.</p>
<p>“Okay, okay,” Merle acquiesced, holding up his hands in surrender. “No need to get all emotional baby brother. I’ll leave you to fend for ya’self. Jus’ remember, huntin’ season is only so long,” he advised, giving Daryl a pointed look.</p>
<p>And that was about as much as I could take.</p>
<p>“Riiight…well I’m going to take a nap,” I said, pointing to the tent with my thumb. I had already reached my limit for embarrassment for one day. I don’t think my cheeks could get any redder but I sure as hell wasn’t staying around to find out.</p>
<p>“Go ‘head and sleep,” Daryl said, turning his attention back to me. “I’ll be out here if ya need me,” he added, reminding me that he wasn’t going to leave me.</p>
<p>My heart warmed at his words, touched that he would even think to say that. I gave him a small smile of thanks then headed for the tent.</p>
<p>I entered the tent and rested on Daryl’s sleeping bag as it provided a bit of padding compared to the ground. I laid on my back and looked up at the ceiling of the tent where the sun’s rays streamed through the foliage above, creating an abstract image of shadow and light. I sighed in contentment as my mind drifted to the squinty-eyed hunter outside.</p>
<p>Of course, the memory of the creek came to mind and I couldn’t help but analyze it. Did we really almost kiss? How did that even happen? A part of me cursed Merle as I wondered what kissing Daryl would be like. <em>Probably mind blowing</em>, I thought with a smile. A sensual swirl of want slithered down to my lower belly and settled there, begging to be stroked.</p>
<p>
  <em>What was Daryl doing to me?</em>
</p>
<p>Sure, I’d had a couple of boyfriends and had my fair share of sex, but it was never anything that I would say I needed. In fact, I was beginning to think I was asexual as I was more interested in studying than I was in sex. The only thing that stopped me from truly believing that was how turned on I got during the sex scenes in <em>True Blood</em>.</p>
<p>Looking back, I supposed I just dated the wrong type of men. All my boyfriends had been clean-cut sophisticated men—the type a girl brought home to meet her parents. Apparently, all I needed was a rough and tough redneck with chiseled arms to rile me up. A naughty image of Daryl shirtless flashed in my mind and I imagined what it would be like to be underneath him as he pounded away on top of me. I felt a collection of warm liquid pool and moisten my bikini bottoms as my nipples started to harden. Damn, just thinking about Daryl was making me wet.</p>
<p>I let out a deep breath to calm myself down. Daryl had a way of causing my repressed urges to surge to the surface. He was provoking all sorts of feelings I never felt before. And I would be lying if I said I didn’t want to explore what he had to offer. The truth was that squinty-eyed hunter was getting under my skin in the best sort of way. And it wasn’t just his body. I genuinely liked his personality. I genuinely liked him.</p>
<p>That thought hit me rather strong. <em>I liked Daryl</em>. Just admitting it to myself made me feel giddy with joy. I sighed aloud and shook my head. What was I getting myself into? Now was not the time to start a romantic entanglement, I chided myself. I needed to be smart and sexing it up with Daryl in every imaginable position did not seem smart.</p>
<p>I was never the type of woman who got all stupid over a man. I was pragmatic; I thought with my head and not my hormones. The Dixon brothers were my only allies in this new world of horror. I had no one else. If I allowed myself to give into my wants, it could complicate things and I definitely did not need complications. I needed to be smart. I needed to survive.</p>
<p>Feeling horribly disappointed but justified in my conclusion, I decided I couldn’t pursue this thing I had with Daryl. I needed to survive. I needed to find my family. And maybe when things got back to normal, I could find Daryl again and explore this passion between us. I frowned at the thought but accepted my fate nonetheless.</p>
<p>Feeling depressed, I pouted grumpily and turned over on my side. Immediately, Daryl’s smell enveloped me, leaving me feeling intoxicated with his scent. I never thought the smell of grease, oil and whiskey would be such a turn on but I found myself smiling once again.</p>
<p>Apparently, suppressing my attraction to Daryl was going to be a lot harder than I thought.</p>
<p>I cleared my mind and closed my eyes. I could try to have more restraint when I woke up. For now, I would just enjoy his scent as I drifted off to sleep. After all, I was only human.</p>
<p>*TWD*</p>
<p>When I woke up, the sun was already making its descent in the sky, letting me know it was probably around three or four in the afternoon. I was surprised that I had slept so long but my body needed the rest. The past few days had been brutal with intense cardio and repeated adrenaline spikes. I felt like I had been put through the ringer. Having a few hours to nap and catch up on some much needed rest felt like an unexpected gift and I made sure to appreciate it. If the apocalypse had taught me anything, it was that I should take nothing for granted. Things could change at the drop of a hat.</p>
<p>I brought my gaze back down and spotted both Dixon brothers sitting near a newly created fire, stewing rabbit meat and conversing.</p>
<p>Daryl looked up and waved me over to join them. I walked over and sat on the ground next to him.</p>
<p>“Smell good, don’t it?” Merle questioned, sniffing the air.</p>
<p>I grimaced. “Not really. It smells like you’re stewing flesh…which you are,” I commented dryly.</p>
<p>“You sound like som’ pussy face tree hugger,” Merle retorted as he stirred the pot.</p>
<p>Not wanting to argue, I ignored his comment. “What did you make the stew out of anyway?” I asked, looking inside the pot.</p>
<p>“Didn’t have many choices,” Merle bemoaned. “So I jus’ put the meat in wit som’ cans of chicken noodle soup,” he explained with a shrug. “Pretty genius huh?”</p>
<p>That honestly sounded like the most redneck meal I’d ever heard of.</p>
<p>“It’s…uhhh….very interesting,” I conceded. “Hey can you toss me the radio?” I asked, turning to Daryl in an attempt to change the subject. “I want to see if there are any new updates.”</p>
<p>Daryl dug through the bag next to him and handed me the portable radio. I turned it on, rotating the dial until I came upon a clear channel.</p>
<p>
  <em>“Atlanta has lost two safe zones today. All residents in the remaining safe zones are being evacuated to the refugee center in North Druid Hills. Starting tomorrow, all refugees will be transferred to Fort Benning for security reasons. Any healthy persons seeking sanctuary should report to the refugee camp immediately. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Updates from other areas of the country have continued to be sparse. We have little to report. There has been radio silence from California since last night. New York has been confirmed lost and uninhabitable. Chicago is down to two safe zones and are currently evacuating all residents outside of city limits. </em>
</p>
<p><em>We will continue to report any new updates as we receive them. To ensure citizens obtain all information, this report will repeat until our next update</em>.”</p>
<p>With that, the report repeated but I couldn’t move. I just stared down at the radio in my hands as different thoughts ran through my mind. California hadn’t been on air for over twelve hours. That wasn’t a good sign. But what did it mean? What happened to my family? Why hadn’t any reports come out of California?</p>
<p>I felt my chest tighten in panic as a rush of worried thoughts tormented my mind. My hands began to shake uncontrollably as I fought the urge to vomit. I began breathing rapidly when I felt Daryl grab my shoulder gently. He allowed his thumb to graze the top of my shoulder softly in a comforting manner. The gesture interrupted my onslaught of thoughts and I looked up to see him gazing at me with compassionate eyes.</p>
<p>“They don’ know anythin’ for sure. Your family could be fine,” he urged as he squeezed my shoulder. He continued to gaze at me with such intensity that I found myself wanting to believe his words.</p>
<p>I looked across the fire at Merle and noticed he was staring at Daryl’s hand on my shoulder. He had a strange look on his face that I couldn’t decipher the meaning of and I lacked the focus to analyze it.</p>
<p>“No sense in worrying ‘bout somethin’ ya don’t know for sure,” Daryl added, gaining my attention again.</p>
<p>I wanted to be strong and hold it together but my emotions felt like an exposed nerve ending, overwhelming me with pain. My heart clenched in my chest as I began to weep in earnest. My emotions were all over the place and I couldn’t get a grip on myself.  My shoulders jerked in sobs as the messaged replayed over in my head.</p>
<p>
  <em>There has been radio silence from California since last night.</em>
</p>
<p>I got up and ran to the tent. I heard Daryl call after me but I didn’t stop. I needed to be alone while I processed everything. I sat down on the sleeping bag and pulled my knees up to my chest as I sobbed uncontrollably. I felt physically sick to my stomach with fear. Was my father okay? Were my grandparents alive? Could they have gotten out? Where would they have gone? Would I ever be able to find them?</p>
<p>Thoughts rushed through my mind like rapid gunfire never ceasing. I couldn’t stop the onslaught of questions plaguing my mind as I fought hard to come up with answers. I was smart. I looked at the details. I could figure out the answers I was seeking. And yet, there were too many variables that were unknown. I felt helpless and hopeless all at the same time and I couldn’t help but sob harder.</p>
<p>I cried and cried until my tears finally subsided and I was emotionally drained. Time seemed irrelevant and incomprehensible as I stayed seated with my knees to my chest. My thoughts died down to a sluggish halt and I felt numb. I stared at the tent walls, incapable of moving.</p>
<p>I’m not sure how long I remained rooted in the same spot before Daryl came to retrieve me, but when I followed him out of the tent, it was already twilight. He led me to the fire pit where he resumed his cooking and motioned for me to sit down. I followed his orders and sat down next to Merle who was eating a bowl of rabbit stew.</p>
<p>“I got som’ oxy if ya wanna feel better?” Merle whispered conspiratorially in my ear as Daryl continued cooking. In his own twisted way, I realized Merle was trying to help me.</p>
<p>I shook my head. It was a nice offer but I wasn’t one to use drugs.</p>
<p>I sat in silence while Daryl finished cooking and tried not to let my thoughts wander. As much as I tried not to think the worst, I found myself speculating on the cause of the radio silence and what it could mean. </p>
<p>Daryl poured the contents of the pot into a bowl and handed it to me.</p>
<p>“I’m not hungry,” I refused, pushing the bowl back to him.</p>
<p>Daryl shook his head. “Ya need to eat somethin’,” he ordered, shoving the bowl back into my hands.</p>
<p>I didn’t have the strength to argue with him so I accepted the bowl with a sigh. I was going to remind him that I was a vegetarian and wouldn’t eat the rabbit stew anyways but when I looked down inside the bowl, I was surprised to see spaghettios. A small part of me was touched that he had cooked me something else, but my mind was still too consumed with grief to be very appreciative.</p>
<p>Daryl picked up his bowl of rabbit stew and began eating with gusto as I continued to avoid taking a bite of my meal.</p>
<p>“You should eat,” Daryl ordered, looking at me pointedly.</p>
<p>He was giving me his hard stare which told me his order wasn’t up for debate. He continued staring at me while I pushed the spaghettios around the bowl with my spoon until I finally forced myself to take a bite. He made sure to watch me chew and swallow before he felt satisfied enough to resume eating his own meal.</p>
<p>After dinner, I remained seated near the fire, staring into the flames as I allowed my thoughts to wander. What was happening out there? It didn’t sound like the government had a handle on the situation. Was there any way to salvage this world or was it already past the point of return? My thoughts continued down a morose and disturbing train of thought until Daryl interrupted me.</p>
<p>“Getcha ass up,” he ordered sternly. “We’re goin’ scoutin’” he declared and disappeared into the tent, leaving me confused in his wake.</p>
<p>When he came out, he walked over to me and tossed something onto my lap.</p>
<p>“Put it on,” Daryl demanded. “It might get cold later.”</p>
<p>It was a flannel button down shirt.</p>
<p>“You own a shirt with sleeves?” I asked with an arched eyebrow.</p>
<p>He smirked. “Shut up and put it on,” he ordered and picked up his crossbow and a flashlight.</p>
<p>I stood up and put the shirt over my racerback top. Instantly, Daryl’s smell surrounded me like a comforting blanket. I let a small smile appear.</p>
<p>“Well how do I look?” I asked jokingly.</p>
<p>“Like a redneck,” Merle laughed.</p>
<p>“Shut up,” Daryl grumbled at Merle. “C’mon,” he grunted and started making his way out of the clearing.</p>
<p>I followed after him and we let the thickness of the woods swallow us up. Twilight was over and dusk was upon us as we walked through the trees. It was harder to navigate the woods in the limited light so Daryl stuck close to my side with the flashlight. I continued to stumble over roots and various woodland scenery but Daryl caught me whenever I tripped.</p>
<p>After a while, we emerged from the trees and I found that we were at the large clearing at the top of the quarry.</p>
<p>“What are we doing here?” I asked confused. “I thought we were scouting?”</p>
<p>Daryl shook his head. “Naw. Thought ya needed somethin’ to brighten your mood. Noticed ya liked watchin’ the sunset. Thought it might make ya smile,” he finished in a low tone, unsure of himself.</p>
<p>My heart melted. “Thank you,” I said in earnest as I leapt up to hug him. He instantly went rigid and awkwardly stood there as I continued to hug him. I don’t think he could have possibly known how much I needed a pick-me-up.</p>
<p>I let go of him and smiled. “Shall we?” I asked, gesturing to the large boulder I previously sat on with Merle.  He nodded in agreement and we made our way over. I got up first then scooted over to make room for him.</p>
<p>We sat silently as we looked out over the quarry with the Atlanta skyline in the distance. Dusk was in full swing, pushing the colors from the sunset low on the horizon. The sun had already disappeared but its light still peeked out from the abyss.</p>
<p>I felt small and insignificant looking at the great expanse above and I felt comfort in that. The world was bigger than me and my problems and despite the dreadful state of America, there was still beauty to be found.</p>
<p>Suddenly, all the horror from the past couple of days disappeared and I was just a woman enjoying the evening sky with a man she fancied. I turned my head and watched Daryl as my stomach filled with butterflies. Here was a man that literally went rigid every time I touched him and yet, he found it in himself to comfort me in my time of need. I smiled and laid my head on his shoulder. He stiffened at first but slowly eased himself into a relaxed posture and allowed me to remain in my new position.</p>
<p>I thought about Daryl and how awkward he was with any sort of physical touch. I couldn’t figure out if he was frightened of intimacy or only the vulnerability that came with it. Either way, I was glad he was the one comforting me in my time of need.</p>
<p>Eventually, I felt Daryl slide his arm up my back until he slowly slid it around my shoulders, timidly and unsure of himself. I could tell he was inexperienced with such displays of affection so I sighed in contentment and nestled myself closer to him, warming myself with his body heat. Sensing my encouragement, Daryl pulled me closer to him until I was snug up against him.</p>
<p>“This is nice,” I whispered, turning my head to look up at him.</p>
<p>Daryl grunted in agreement but kept his gaze ahead, refusing to look at me. Even in the dim lighting, I could see his cheeks flushed a deep crimson. I smiled and turned my gaze back to the view in front of us, pleased to know Daryl was enjoying this as much as I was.</p>
<p>We stayed like that as dusk disappeared, chased away by the night sky. Stars began appearing like shimmering lights, making the blanket of darkness sparkle like a lake. I was glad for the shirt Daryl lent me as it kept me warm and allowed me to be surrounded in the comfort of his scent.</p>
<p>“We should get goin’,” Daryl said, interrupting the silence. “it’s gonna be a bitch gettin’ back to camp in the dark,” he warned.</p>
<p>I nodded in agreement and watched as he slid off the boulder first before turning around and assist me. I smiled inwardly. He was such a gentleman.</p>
<p>After helping me off the rock, Daryl headed for the tree line while I stood where I was for a moment longer, wanting to watch the last remnants of dusk fall below the horizon.</p>
<p>Suddenly, a low thumping sound cut through the silence of the night.</p>
<p>“What’s that noise?” I asked Daryl, who was now fifteen feet away. It was a curious sound that I couldn’t quite place.</p>
<p>He turned around and stood still to listen. As we listened, the sound seemed to grow louder until it resembled a thunderstorm in the distance. Daryl’s eyes widened as something registered in his head and he ran back to me just as the noise became monstrously loud. I grabbed Daryl’s arm in fear and looked up in the night’s sky as a squadron of military helicopters flew overhead.</p>
<p>“What’s happening?” I yelled over the noise.</p>
<p>“Dunno,” Daryl shouted back.</p>
<p>We watched as the helicopters flew closer to Atlanta before we saw the first explosion cause a burst of orange to invade the night’s sky.</p>
<p>I screamed loudly as I watched in terror. More helicopters reached the city’s limits and dropped identical bombs over various parts of Atlanta. Giant flames illuminated the city, swallowing up the scenery before us as downtown skyscrapers fell like dominos in the distance. After all the bombs had been dropped, the helicopters retreated away just as quickly as they had appeared, leaving us to watch in horror as the city burned before us.</p>
<p>I couldn’t believe what my eyes were seeing. They had bombed the streets of Atlanta—the streets that still had living people in it. Our government was killing its own citizens! If they had done this to Atlanta, they could have done it elsewhere. My stomach dropped as I came to the realization that the cause for the radio silence from California could have been a similar bombing mission.</p>
<p>“Daryl,” I choked out.</p>
<p>I couldn’t bring myself to say it out loud. My family and friends were most likely dead. I was alone in this world. I felt detached and isolated—an abnormality in a new reality. My heart ached with this new truth as tears silently trailed down my face.</p>
<p>I felt Daryl’s hand slowly caress mine as he eased my hand within his. I looked up to see his eyes ablaze with a passion. “Ya ain’t alone,” he said, capturing me in his gaze. “You got me and Merle. Ya hear me?” he questioned. “Ya ain’t alone,” he repeated, staring into my eyes. He wanted me to know the truth behind those words.</p>
<p>I nodded numbly and hugged him, nuzzling my face against his chest as I cried. He would never know what those words meant to me in this moment. He grounded me. He gave me hope. He was all I had in this world. Him and Merle. I wasn’t alone.</p>
<p>He wrapped his arms around me, loosely at first as if unsure of himself. Slowly his arms grew tighter until he held me in a close embrace. We stood like that for a long time, not ready to let go and face reality.</p>
<p>“Well I’m gonna get high as shit tonight,” Merle said casually from behind us.</p>
<p>Daryl awkwardly let go of me and stepped away from me, embarrassed to be caught by Merle. He gave me an apologetic glance but remained rooted in his new position. I briefly wondered how long Merle had been standing there and how much he had already seen.</p>
<p>“Fuck man. They napalmed Atlanta,” Merle stated, approaching us. “Place was a shit, but it was home,” he finished with downturned lips.</p>
<p>He stayed for a bit longer, watching the fires rage on and devour the city. “Full disclosure,” he said, turning to Daryl. “I stole the drugs from Lyle and Ima get shit faced tonight baby brother. Don’t wanna hear no bitchin’ and no complainin’. Not tonight,” he instructed, poking Daryl in the chest with his index finger.</p>
<p>Daryl’s eyes grew heated and hostile as he balled his hands into fists, ready to punch Merle in the face.</p>
<p>I quickly placed my hand on Daryl’s arm. “Not tonight,” I whispered with pleading eyes.</p>
<p>The world as we knew it had been destroyed. If Merle ever deserved a pass, it was now. And I didn’t have it in me to deal with a massive argument right now. I was weighed down with enough grief already.</p>
<p>Daryl gave me a hard look before his eyes relaxed and he let out a deep breath. He gave me a curt nod, letting me know he was going to let it slide tonight but that there would be hell to pay later.</p>
<p>I nodded my head in understanding before I turned my attention to Merle. I gave him a small smile as I grabbed one of his hands with mine and squeezed it gently. I wanted him to know that he wasn’t alone either. He had me and Daryl.</p>
<p>Merle looked mortified by the gesture and quickly snatched his hand away in discomfort. “What the hell you doin’ girl? I don’ need nobody holdin’ my hand or swaddlin’ me like a damn baby. Do I look like a faggot to you?” he asked, sneering at me.</p>
<p>I knew his harsh words were a defense mechanism but they still stung just the same. Merle appeared to be just as uncomfortable with physical touch as Daryl. Apparently, affection was not part of the Dixon family culture.</p>
<p>“We’re all hurting Merle. There’s no need to be nasty,” I said softly, trying to hold my tears back. I had enough emotional upheaval without throwing Merle’s asshole tendencies into the mix.</p>
<p>Merle’s gaze softened slightly as he regarded me. He sucked his teeth then sighed loudly. “Sorry Princess,” he offered with a somber look. “I ain’t myself right now. It’s best if I’m alone for a while.”</p>
<p>He gave me an apologetic smile before he walked away, disappearing into the tree line.</p>
<p>A moment later, I felt Daryl’s hand lightly nudge my back. “C’mon,” Daryl urged. “We don’ wanna be this exposed at night. Best to head back ta camp.”</p>
<p>I nodded and allowed him to lead me into the woods once again. Daryl let me take my time as he guided us back to camp. We walked slowly through the dark woods as my mind continued to race with unending thoughts. We must’ve arrived back at camp quite a bit later than Merle because he was already gone when we got back.</p>
<p>“Will he be okay out there alone if he’s high?” I asked as we walked to our tent.</p>
<p>“Don’ worry bout Merle. He knows how to handle himself,” Daryl assured me.</p>
<p>I nodded and we entered the tent. I went to the right side and sat on the sleeping bag as Daryl sat on the ground on the left side. It felt like entirely too much space—like the universe itself was between us. It made me feel alone again.</p>
<p>I let my hair out of the loose bun before I laid down on top of the sleeping bag and closed my eyes. Thoughts began to swarm in my mind at an alarming rate and I opened my eyes and exhaled loudly. I turned on my side and saw Daryl lying down with his arms folded behind his head. We were only two feet away from each other and yet it felt like a thousand miles.</p>
<p>“C’mere,” Daryl demanded as he brought one arm down from behind his head.</p>
<p>I scooted over to Daryl and laid my head on his chest as I snuggled close to him for comfort. I could feel his heart beating within his chest as the sound resonated throughout my skull. It was relaxing and reassured me that I wasn’t alone in this world. I closed my eyes and listened to his heartbeat for a long time before I felt his hand brush my hair, landing on the middle of my back. It was such a sweet gesture but my body still shuddered with excitement. He didn’t seem to notice my reaction and instead played with the curls near his hand. I could feel him twirling a curl around his finger as I continued to listen to his heartbeat.</p>
<p>“They could’ve gotten out, ya know,” he said, interrupting the silence. “Ya don’ know anythin’ for sure. You got out of Atlanta. You should be dead, but ya ain’t. They could be alive too.”</p>
<p>It was quiet again as I let his words sink in. I was a pragmatist. I looked at the facts—the details—as I came to a conclusion. My family should be dead but Daryl had a point. By all calculations, I should be dead too. Yet, here I was, alive and living in the woods. My family could still be alive too. I had to hold on to that hope. I had to believe they were alive. It was the only way I’d survive. Any doubt about my family’s existence needed to be locked away in a compartment in my mind that I would never open.</p>
<p>“Yeah, your right,” I finally agreed. I decided I would believe they were alive until I had cold hard facts that said otherwise.</p>
<p>“What’s the plan?” I asked, looking up at him. “What should we do?”</p>
<p>“Why ya askin’ me?” he questioned, looking at his hand play with my hair.</p>
<p>“What do you mean?” I asked confused.</p>
<p>He let his gaze roam around the tent before he looked at me. “Ain’t nobody ever looked to me for nothin’” he admitted honestly.</p>
<p>I stared back into those beautiful ocean colored eyes of his. “I’m looking to you right now. For guidance, for protection...for comfort,” I confessed. He looked uncomfortable but I continued. “I have no clue what to do. So I’m asking you.”</p>
<p>He was silent for a minute as he contemplated our options. “We should stay here in the woods,” he reasoned. “Ride it out for a couple of days until we get more info. No sense in runnin’ ‘round like a chicken wit a broken neck.”</p>
<p>I nodded in agreement. “Alright, we’ll stay here.”</p>
<p>“Ya sure?” he questioned, giving me another opportunity to change my mind. </p>
<p>“I trust you,” I said with complete honesty. “So yeah, I’m sure.”</p>
<p>Daryl gave me a strange look that held a heftiness of meaning I couldn’t quite place.</p>
<p>I laid my head back on Daryl’s chest and let the rhythm of his heartbeat put me to sleep as he held me close.</p>
<p>*TWD*</p>
<p>I woke up the next morning in a cocoon of warmth. I snuggled my face closer to the heat and hit something solid. I slowly opened my heavy lidded eyes to see a man’s chest mere inches from my face. Confused, I lifted my gaze to see Daryl’s face in a deep sleep. I smiled and rested my head back on his chest as I tried to savor the moment.</p>
<p>Ten minutes later, I felt Daryl begin to stir. I remained still with my eyes closed as he awoke. I didn’t want the moment to end. I felt Daryl’s hand begin to twirl my curls as he lounged, in no rush to end our blissful embrace either. I smiled inwardly as I realized Daryl needed and wanted this as much as I did.</p>
<p>For the first time, I thought about how the apocalypse affected him too. Sure, he was better suited to live in this post-apocalyptic world, but it was still a hard adjustment for him as well. Everything he knew was now gone or in ruins. He watched his city burn last night, and yet, he still put my needs ahead of his own. My heart fluttered as I realized this and I lifted my head to regard him. His hand stilled in my hair once he realized I was awake. I gave him a wide smile as my heart continued to melt from his actions. I hoped my smile conveyed everything that I couldn’t put into words. How much last night meant to me. How much he meant to me.</p>
<p>I squeezed him hard and nestled my head on his chest.</p>
<p>“I know,” he mumbled as he resumed twirling my hair.</p>
<p>Only Daryl could understand everything I wanted to say without me having to say it.</p>
<p>We continued to lounge for some time before Daryl finally acknowledged that we needed to eat breakfast and scout the woods. We untangled ourselves from each other’s embrace and got ready to exit the tent. I began to put my hair up into a ponytail when Daryl stopped me.</p>
<p>“Leave it down,” he suggested with squinty eyes. “I like your curls.”</p>
<p>It seemed like an explosion of pixie dust went off in my chest as he said those words. It was the simplest request and yet I couldn’t help how giddy it made me feel. I nodded my head in agreement and let my hair cascade down my back.</p>
<p>We exited the tent and went to the fire pit. I began to look for food as Daryl searched the nearby woods for firewood. I dug through the various Rite Aid bags looking for expiration dates. Now that our situation seemed more permanent, we needed to be smart about what foods we ate first.</p>
<p>I decided on a large package of white powdered donuts as it had the nearest expiration date. Daryl entered the clearing shortly after with an armful of firewood. I showed him the package of donuts as he lit the campfire.</p>
<p>“Better than oatmeal,” he commented as the fire began to pick up.</p>
<p>“Anything is better than oatmeal,” I said chuckling.</p>
<p>Daryl came to sit next to me as the fire roared to life in front of us. I handed him the package of donuts which he opened. He offered me one as he took two.</p>
<p>“Where’s Merle?” I questioned as I took a bite of the white powdered donut.</p>
<p>“Dunno. He’ll show up though,” he replied, taking a huge bite of his own donut. “He always does,” he said with a mouth full of food.</p>
<p>As if on cue, Merle walked into the clearing looking no more worse for the wear than usual.</p>
<p>“See?” Daryl pointed out, gesturing his hand in Merle’s direction.</p>
<p>Merle walked over and sat near us by the fire pit. Daryl tossed him the package of donuts which he caught with ease.</p>
<p>“Finally, somethin’ I can eat ‘round here,” he commented and dug into the package. He pulled out a donut and began taking huge mouthfuls of it just as Daryl had. They really were brothers.</p>
<p>“You okay?” Daryl asked Merle as he continued eating.</p>
<p>Merle stopped chewing and swallowed before he sighed. “World’s gone to shit,” he shrugged. “Guess there ain’t nothin’ to do but do what we’ve always done…survive.”</p>
<p>Daryl gave a humorless grunt in agreement.</p>
<p>“We gonna need to hit up som’ more stores for supplies if we’re stayin in these woods,” Merle advised as he took another mouthful of donut.</p>
<p>“Yeah I know,” Daryl agreed. “We can go out later today.”</p>
<p>I groaned inwardly. I really didn’t want to go out there again but I knew that they were right. We needed more supplies.</p>
<p>“C’mon,” Daryl ordered me as he dusted off the white powder from his hands onto his workpants. “Best to start scoutin’ now. Got a lot to do today,” he said and stood up. He walked over to the tent and grabbed his crossbow before heading back to the fire pit.</p>
<p>I stood up and followed him out of the clearing and into the woods. We walked for a long time, scanning the area for walkers but finding none.</p>
<p>“Should I be worried about Merle’s drug use?” I asked suddenly. If I was going to be stuck with Merle and Daryl for an indiscernible amount of time, I needed to know exactly what to expect.</p>
<p>Daryl turned to me and didn’t answer for a moment. I thought I saw a look of worry pass his face but then it was gone so fast I couldn’t be sure if I’d seen it in the first place.</p>
<p>“Naw,” Daryl finally answered. “He’ll be fine.”</p>
<p>I gave him a disbelieving look.</p>
<p>“I’ll talk to him when things calm down a bit,” he promised, trying to ease my worry. “We got more important things to worry about first,” he added as his eyes scanned the woods for walkers.</p>
<p>I nodded and we continued to walk in silence. We walked for another fifteen minutes when suddenly, Daryl grabbed me and threw me behind a tree as he covered my mouth with his hand. His chest rested on top of mine as he pinned me against the tree, listening intently.</p>
<p>My eyes widened as I realized something was wrong. I looked at Daryl’s face but his eyes were busy scanning the woods for the threat.  Fear coursed through my veins, causing my stomach to twist into knots as my heat beat wildly in my chest. Finally, Daryl’s eyes returned to mine. He took his hand off my mouth and raised his index finger to his mouth to remind me to stay quiet. I nodded as he back away from me quietly. I started to move but he held his hand out to stop me.</p>
<p>He motioned for me to stay put before he raised his crossbow and waited.</p>
<p>I could hear the soft crunch of earth under shoes. Someone was coming our way and they were getting closer by the second. I waited with baited breath as the sound grew louder and the faceless danger grew closer.</p>
<p>Without warning, Daryl lunged around the tree with his crossbow raised.</p>
<p>“Don’t shoot!” I heard a man yell in panic before a loud object hit the floor.</p>
<p>I ran around the tree and found a young Asian man in a baseball cap with his hands raised in surrender. A wooden baseball bat laid discarded on the ground before him.</p>
<p>“What’s a Chinaman doin’ in the woods?” Daryl asked harshly.</p>
<p>“I’m KKK-Korean,” the guy stammered back in a panicked voice.</p>
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  <strong>Yay! We finally met the first member of the quarry group! Are you guys excited or what? And what about Natasha and Daryl’s budding romance? I love them together! Please leave a comment and let me know what you thought of this chapter. I love reading your comments and getting feedback! It helps motivate me to write more and make the story better. Thanks again!</strong>
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